Cartagena climate
Cartagena (Colombia) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C82 °F, and about 1,370 mm54 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Cartagena climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2985 | 2578 | 2781 | 30.1 |
| Feb | 3086 | 2577 | 2882 | 30.1 |
| Mar | 3086 | 2578 | 2882 | 100.4 |
| Apr | 3086 | 2679 | 2882 | 602.4 |
| May | 3085 | 2781 | 2883 | 1787.0 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2781 | 2983 | 1355.3 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2781 | 2983 | 1606.3 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2781 | 2883 | 1606.3 |
| Sep | 2985 | 2781 | 2883 | 1827.2 |
| Oct | 2984 | 2781 | 2882 | 2429.5 |
| Nov | 2984 | 2781 | 2882 | 1817.1 |
| Dec | 2985 | 2679 | 2882 | 562.2 |
| Year | 3086 | 2577 | 2882 | 1,37054 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 37% | 5.5 | 11:35 |
| Feb | 75% | 41% | 5.9 | 11:47 |
| Mar | 75% | 54% | 5.8 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 78% | 68% | 5.6 | 12:21 |
| May | 82% | 79% | 5.2 | 12:36 |
| Jun | 81% | 75% | 5.3 | 12:44 |
| Jul | 81% | 74% | 5.5 | 12:40 |
| Aug | 82% | 79% | 5.4 | 12:28 |
| Sep | 82% | 81% | 5.1 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 82% | 82% | 4.7 | 11:53 |
| Nov | 82% | 69% | 4.6 | 11:38 |
| Dec | 81% | 44% | 5.1 | 11:31 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Cartagena is like
The warmest month is June, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 27 °C81 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 29 °C85 °F and lows 25 °C78 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 1.3 °C2.4 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,370 mm54 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 44% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January–March. The wettest month is October (242 mm9.5 in), the driest is January (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 75% in February to 82% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 37%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 11 km/h (7 mph) in September to 24 km/h (15 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Cartagena
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December–April: average highs of 29 °C85 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 60 mm2.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is very wet (242 mm9.5 in) and humid (82% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Cartagena
- Wetter months (May–November) — highs 2984 to 30 °C86 °F, lows around 27 °C81 °F, about 177 mm7.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (December–April) — highs 2985 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2577 to 26 °C79 °F, about 26 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Cartagena compares
Compared with Barranquilla, about 100 km to the northeast, Cartagena has practically the same average temperature and receives 22% more precipitation (1,370 mm54 in vs 1,126 mm44 in).
Of the 48 places in Colombia covered by World Climates, Cartagena is the 9th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 26th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Colombia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: La Gi (Vietnam, Aw), Phan Thiết (Vietnam, Aw) and Puntarenas (Costa Rica, Aw).
Nearby places
- Sabanalarga 68 km · 28 °C83 °F · 935 mm37 in
- Barranquilla 100 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,126 mm44 in
- Sincelejo 122 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,430 mm56 in
- Magangué 152 km · 29 °C84 °F · 1,002 mm39 in
- Santa Marta 170 km · 29 °C84 °F · 847 mm33 in
- Montería 188 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,327 mm52 in
- Valledupar 245 km · 28 °C83 °F · 718 mm28 in
- Apartadó 306 km · 27 °C80 °F · 2,271 mm89 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Cartagena?
June is the warmest month in Cartagena, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 27 °C (81 °F).
What is the coldest month in Cartagena?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (78 °F).
When does it rain the most in Cartagena?
October is the wettest month with about 242 mm (9.5 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Cartagena?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December–April.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.