The territory of Chile extends from the tropics down almost to Antarctica, and from sea level up to breathtaking altitudes, therefore the country has a wide variety of climate conditions. In the north there is hardly any rainfall and conditions are very hot arid. The climate in central Chile is Mediterranean, with cool, wet winters between April and September. Average annual rainfall increases, and temperatures decrease, as one moves further south. In Santiago average temperatures vary between 68F (20C) in January, the height of summer, and 46F (8C) in July, midwinter. In the extreme south the weather is cold and wet most of the year, snow covering the mountains and the sky cloudy.