Cartagena weather in December

In December, Cartagena sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.4 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Cartagena's 3rd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cartagena's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
4th warmest
Overnight low
12°
10th coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
6:36 AM – 8:49 PM
Cloud cover
21%
3rd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
8.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

Cartagena is place in Chile.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical December day in Cartagena reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11912
21912
31912
41912
51912
61912
71912
81912
91912
101912
111912
121912
132012
142012
152012
162012
172013
182013
192013
202013
212013
222013
232013
242013
252013
262013
272013
282013
292013
302013
312013

Cartagena weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 14°00.1148.8
Feb21° / 14°20.313.28.7
Mar20° / 12°40.712.38.4
Apr18° / 10°182.211.27.2
May16° / 614.710.35.5
Jun14° / 12279.84.3
Jul13° / 675.5104.2
Aug14° / 595.110.84.6
Sep15° / 28311.85.5
Oct17° / 10°141.812.86.7
Nov18° / 11°40.713.77.9
Dec20° / 12°30.414.28.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 8%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1919
2919
3919
4919
5919
6919
7919
8919
9928
10928
11937
12937
13937
14937
15937
16937
17937
18937
19937
20937
21937
22937
23937
24928
25928
26928
27937
28937
29937
30937
31937

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Cartagena gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.4 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
62
72
82
92
102
112
122
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1946
2937
3937
4928
5919
69010
78911
88911
98812
108713
118614
128614
138515
148416
158317
168218
178119
188020
197921
207723
217624
227426
237228
247129
256931
266832
276634
286535
296337
306238
316139

Wind in December

Winds average 12 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 8:38 PM to 8:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.16:348:38
214.16:348:39
314.16:348:40
414.16:348:41
514.16:348:41
614.16:348:42
714.16:348:43
814.26:348:44
914.26:358:44
1014.26:358:45
1114.26:358:46
1214.26:358:46
1314.26:358:47
1414.26:368:48
1514.26:368:48
1614.26:368:49
1714.26:368:50
1814.26:378:50
1914.26:378:51
2014.26:388:51
2114.26:388:52
2214.26:398:52
2314.26:398:53
2414.26:408:53
2514.26:408:54
2614.26:418:54
2714.26:418:54
2814.26:428:55
2914.26:428:55
3014.26:438:55
3114.26:448:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 8.96 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.46 kWh/m² to a high of 8.96 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 8.96 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246810151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.8Intense
28.8Intense
38.8Intense
48.8Intense
58.8Intense
68.8Intense
78.8Intense
88.9Intense
98.9Intense
108.9Intense
118.9Intense
128.9Intense
138.9Intense
148.9Intense
158.9Intense
168.9Intense
179.0Intense
189.0Intense
199.0Intense
209.0Intense
219.0Intense
229.0Intense
239.0Intense
249.0Intense
259.0Intense
269.0Intense
279.0Intense
289.0Intense
299.0Intense
309.0Intense
319.0Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Cartagena?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

8.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Cartagena for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Cartagena in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Cartagena sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Cartagena in December

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 16°C and coldest in August near 12°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°12°14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr14Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep12Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Cartagena in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cartagena peaks around January 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 17UV 13Jun 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct9Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Cartagena in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Cartagena is worst in July — around 88 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.5× the cleanest month (February, 35 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorJul 1287 µg/m³Feb 1836 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan45Poor
Feb35Moderate
Mar40Poor
Apr58Unhealthy
May83Unhealthy
Jun85Unhealthy
Jul88Unhealthy
Aug77Unhealthy
Sep64Unhealthy
Oct45Poor
Nov37Poor
Dec38Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Cartagena?

Cartagena sits at 33.6°S, 71.6°W, 82 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is San Antonio, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Cartagena

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Cartagena.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cartagena has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 202 m around an average of 57 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 488 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,259 m.

The land around Cartagena is covered by water (35%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, water (39%), grassland (25%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and water (30%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
202 m
16 km
488 m
80 km
2,259 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: San Antonio 5.0 km · El Quisco 19 km · Casablanca 32 km · Melipilla 39 km · Curacaví 48 km · Placilla 49 km · Valparaiso 58 km · Quilpué 58 km

Chile travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F / L
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 48% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$17,995
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
14.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 517
Religion
Catholic 57%none 26%Evangelical or Protestant 16%other Christians and traditions related to Christ 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Cartagena (-33.5538°, -71.6076°, elevation 82 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).