Cartagena weather in August

In August, Cartagena sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 186 mm of rain across 27.6 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in August, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of August to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Cartagena's 11th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cartagena's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
8th warmest
Overnight low
26°
10th coldest
Rainfall
186 mm
27.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:56 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
88%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Cartagena is place in Columbia.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 24 µg/m³ · 2018

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical August day in Cartagena reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13026
23026
33026
43026
53026
63026
73026
83026
93026
103026
113026
123026
133026
143026
153026
163026
173026
183026
193026
203026
213026
223026
233026
243026
253026
263026
273026
283026
293026
303026
313026

How August really feels in Cartagena

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Cartagena weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 25°92.311.55.9
Feb31° / 25°61.611.75.6
Mar31° / 26°194.511.95.2
Apr31° / 26°7515.712.23.9
May30° / 26°18126.212.53.0
Jun30° / 26°17625.412.63.0
Jul30° / 26°15725.112.53.1
Aug30° / 26°18627.612.32.9
Sep29° / 26°21028.512.12.8
Oct29° / 25°26529.211.82.9
Nov29° / 25°20124.411.53.5
Dec30° / 25°6110.911.45.1

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1793
2793
3793
4892
5892
6892
7892
8892
9892
10892
11892
12892
13991
14991
15991
16991
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22892
23892
24892
25892
26892
27892
28892
29892
30892
31991

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Cartagena gets around 186 mm of rain over 27.6 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 89% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
185
285
385
486
586
686
786
886
986
1087
1187
1287
1388
1488
1589
1689
1789
1890
1990
2090
2191
2291
2391
2492
2592
2693
2793
2893
2993
3094
3194

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the miserable band about 94% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1694
2694
3694
4694
5694
6694
7694
8694
9694
10694
11694
12694
13694
14694
15694
16694
17694
18694
19694
20694
21694
22694
23694
24694
25694
26595
27595
28595
29595
30595
31595

Wind in August

Winds average 9 km/h in August.

Across August, 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
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of August to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 6:22 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:546:22
212.55:546:22
312.45:546:21
412.45:556:21
512.45:556:21
612.45:556:20
712.45:556:20
812.45:556:20
912.45:556:19
1012.45:556:19
1112.45:556:19
1212.45:556:18
1312.45:566:18
1412.45:566:17
1512.45:566:17
1612.35:566:16
1712.35:566:16
1812.35:566:16
1912.35:566:15
2012.35:566:15
2112.35:566:14
2212.35:566:13
2312.35:566:13
2412.35:566:12
2512.35:566:12
2612.35:566:11
2712.25:566:11
2812.25:566:10
2912.25:566:10
3012.25:566:09
3112.25:566:08

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.58 kWh/m² to a high of 6.35 kWh/m² in March across the year — August's 5.3 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Cartagena

In seasonPeak

In August, Cartagena sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Cartagena's rainy season runs May–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Cartagena?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cartagena.

What to pack for Cartagena in August

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

In August, Cartagena sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Cartagena in August

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 15 km away) is warmest in June at about 30°C and coldest in March near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May29Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Cartagena in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August 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 June 11 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highJun 11UV 13Dec 13UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Cartagena in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Cartagena is worst in July — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 14 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Cartagena's WHO annual average of 24 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 1034 µg/m³Nov 1315 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr30Moderate
May33Moderate
Jun34Moderate
Jul35Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Cartagena?

Cartagena sits at 10.4°N, 75.5°W, 20 m above sea level, in Colombia. The nearest listed city is Turbaco, 12 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 57 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 231 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 811 m.

The land around Cartagena is covered by artificial surfaces (74%) within 3 km, water (40%), grassland (24%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (44%), trees (26%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
231 m
80 km
811 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
August weather nearby: Turbaco 12 km · Santa Rosa 14 km · Arjona 23 km · San Estanislao 37 km · Mahates 38 km · Repelón 42 km · Luruaco 45 km · San Pablo 46 km

Colombia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 / 240 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$8,562
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
74%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
24.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
15.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 480
Religion
Roman Catholic 64%Protestant 17%none 14%atheist 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 (10.3982°, -75.4933°, elevation 20 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).