Parinacota has an alpine climate (Köppen classification ETH). Due to its high elevation, there is high diurnal temperature variation.
It has cool daily maxima throughout the year due to its high elevation, but minima are below freezing for the entire year, and frigid during the bone-dry, dry season from April to November. Precipitation is low and falls almost entirely between December and March: for the remainder of the year it totals just  over eight months.