City in Catamarca, Argentina
Andalgalá is a city in the west-center of the province of Catamarca , Argentina, located in a valley near the Sierra de Aconquija , 260 km from the provincial capital San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca . It has about 14,000 inhabitants as per the 2001 census [INDEC ] . It is the head town of the department of the same name. The Andalgalá River , which flows nearby, supports a hydroelectric power plant.
Andalgalá was founded as a fort on 12 July 1658, and only became a city in 1952. Its name is of Quechua origin and means either "Lord of the Hare" or "Lord of the High Mountain".
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Andalgalá has a hot arid climate , abbreviated BWh on climate maps, although it is only 0.3 °C or 0.5 °F hotter than the threshold that would categorize it as a cool arid climate , and only a little too dry to qualify as a semi-arid climate .[ 1] [ 2]
Climate data for Andalgalá (1901–1960)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
43.4
43.1
39.9
38.7
36.3
35.3
37.2
39.3
39.9
42.2
41.9
43.3
43.4
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
33.7
32.3
30.1
26.2
21.7
18.3
18.7
21.5
25.5
28.9
31.9
33.7
26.9
Daily mean °C (°F)
25.1
24.0
21.9
17.9
13.7
9.9
10.0
12.7
16.7
20.1
22.9
25.0
18.3
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
18.4
17.7
15.7
11.3
7.2
3.7
3.3
5.2
8.9
12.3
15.4
17.4
11.4
Record low °C (°F)
8.7
9.1
4.8
−1.8
−3.1
−4.7
−6.2
−5.7
−2.5
1.7
2.1
4.9
−6.2
Average precipitation mm (inches)
75.5
64.8
45.7
15.8
8.4
4.4
5.4
5.2
4.8
13.7
18.7
35.3
297.5
Average relative humidity (%)
53.0
60.2
62.8
64.2
64.3
63.5
55.2
48.2
46.7
50.0
50.2
51.7
55.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours
291
234
248
223
230
176
205
223
254
275
273
264
2,897
Percent possible sunshine
69
64
65
65
69
56
62
64
70
70
67
62
65
Source 1: Secretaria de Mineria[ 2]
Source 2: FAO (sun only)[ 3]
References
