Cartagena climate
Cartagena (Murcia, Spain) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C67 °F, and about 288 mm11 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 | 1661 | 949 | 1355 | 311.2 |
| Feb | 1661 | 949 | 1355 | 180.7 |
| Mar | 1865 | 1152 | 1559 | 351.4 |
| Apr | 2069 | 1356 | 1762 | 311.2 |
| May | 2474 | 1662 | 2068 | 160.6 |
| Jun | 2882 | 2069 | 2475 | 80.3 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2373 | 2780 | 30.1 |
| Aug | 3187 | 2475 | 2781 | 120.5 |
| Sep | 2882 | 2171 | 2576 | 311.2 |
| Oct | 2476 | 1865 | 2170 | 291.1 |
| Nov | 2067 | 1356 | 1661 | 371.4 |
| Dec | 1762 | 1051 | 1356 | 371.4 |
| Year | 3187 | 949 | 1967 | 28811 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73% | 46% | 2.6 | 9:50 |
| Feb | 71% | 44% | 3.5 | 10:45 |
| Mar | 70% | 45% | 4.6 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 69% | 45% | 5.7 | 13:07 |
| May | 66% | 40% | 6.7 | 14:11 |
| Jun | 63% | 27% | 7.4 | 14:45 |
| Jul | 64% | 21% | 7.2 | 14:31 |
| Aug | 66% | 23% | 6.4 | 13:36 |
| Sep | 69% | 34% | 5.0 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 71% | 40% | 3.7 | 11:09 |
| Nov | 72% | 46% | 2.7 | 10:05 |
| Dec | 74% | 46% | 2.2 | 9:35 |
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 August, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 16 °C61 °F and lows 9 °C49 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 14.6 °C26.3 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is dry, with about 288 mm11 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 36% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: February and May–August. The wettest month is November (37 mm1.4 in), the driest is July (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 63% in June to 74% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 21%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 11 km/h (7 mph) in June to 13 km/h (8 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.6 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Cartagena
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–June and September–November: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 8 mm0.3 in to 37 mm1.4 in of precipitation per month.
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
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1661 to 17 °C62 °F, lows 949 to 10 °C51 °F, about 29 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1865 to 24 °C74 °F, lows 1152 to 16 °C62 °F, about 27 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2882 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 2069 to 24 °C75 °F, about 8 mm0.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2067 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1356 to 21 °C71 °F, about 32 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
How Cartagena compares
Compared with Murcia, about 45 km to the north, Cartagena has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in December (2.3 °C4.2 °F warmer).
Of the 46 places in Spain covered by World Climates, Cartagena is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 40th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Spain climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Sousse (Tunisia, BSh), Mostaganem (Algeria, Csa) and Sfax (Tunisia, BWh).
Nearby places
- Murcia 45 km · 19 °C66 °F · 288 mm11 in
- Orihuela 54 km · 19 °C66 °F · 288 mm11 in
- Alicante 94 km · 19 °C66 °F · 329 mm13 in
- Almería 156 km · 20 °C69 °F · 238 mm9.4 in
- Albacete 173 km · 15 °C59 °F · 349 mm14 in
- Mostaganem 209 km · 19 °C66 °F · 424 mm17 in
- Oran 214 km · 19 °C67 °F · 516 mm20 in
- Valencia 215 km · 19 °C66 °F · 394 mm16 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Cartagena?
August is the warmest month in Cartagena, with an average high of 31 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Cartagena?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 16 °C (61 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (49 °F).
When does it rain the most in Cartagena?
November is the wettest month with about 37 mm (1.4 in) of precipitation; July 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 March–June and September–November.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 124 m, while Cartagena lies at about 1 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.8 °C1.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.