Cartagena weather in March

In March, Cartagena sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 4 mm of rain across 0.7 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-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 81% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Cartagena's 4th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cartagena's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
12°
10th coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
0.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:48 AM – 8:04 PM
Cloud cover
22%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.35 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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical March 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 18°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12013
22013
32013
42013
52013
62013
72013
82013
92013
102013
112013
122013
132013
142013
152013
162012
172012
182012
192012
202012
212012
222012
232012
242012
251912
261912
271912
281912
291912
301912
311912

Cartagena weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 8th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 10%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1946
2946
3937
4937
5937
6937
7937
8928
9928
10928
11928
12928
13928
14919
15919
16919
17919
189010
199010
209010
218911
228911
238911
248812
258812
268713
278713
288614
298614
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Cartagena gets around 4 mm of rain over 0.7 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 2% and peaks near 4% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
92
102
112
122
132
142
152
162
172
182
192
202
212
222
233
243
253
263
274
284
294
304
314

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 61% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
145532
245532
346522
447512
548502
649501
749491
850491
951481
1053470
1154460
1255450
1356440
1458420
1559410
1660400
1761390
1863370
1964360
2065341
2166331
2268311
2369301
2470291
2571281
2672271
2773261
2874251
2976231
3077221
3179210

Wind in March

Winds average 10 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:36 AM to 8:00 AM, and sunset from 8:23 PM to 7:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.87:368:23
212.77:378:22
312.77:388:21
412.77:398:19
512.67:408:18
612.67:408:17
712.67:418:16
812.57:428:14
912.57:438:13
1012.57:448:12
1112.47:448:11
1212.47:458:09
1312.47:468:08
1412.37:478:07
1512.37:488:05
1612.37:488:04
1712.27:498:02
1812.27:508:01
1912.27:518:00
2012.17:517:58
2112.17:527:57
2212.07:537:56
2312.07:547:54
2412.07:547:53
2511.97:557:51
2611.97:567:50
2711.97:577:49
2811.87:577:47
2911.87:587:46
3011.87:597:45
3111.78:007:43

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.35 kWh/m².

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 — March's 6.35 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.2Intense
27.1Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
66.9Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.2Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Bright
245.9Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.6Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Cartagena?

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

8.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Cartagena in March

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

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

sun protection

Sea temperature near Cartagena in March

The nearest coast averages about 16°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 10 (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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March 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
March 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).