Cartagena weather in October

In October, Cartagena sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 265 mm of rain across 29.2 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in October, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Cartagena's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cartagena's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
11th warmest
Overnight low
25°
4th coldest
Rainfall
265 mm
29.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
5:54 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
86%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.71 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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical October day in Cartagena reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°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 30°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12926
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How October really feels in Cartagena

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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 October is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Cartagena weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 11th-warmest and 1st-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1793
2793
3793
4793
5793
6793
7892
8793
9793
10892
11892
12991
13991
14991
151090
161189
171288
181288
191288
201387
211486
221486
231585
241585
251585
261684
271684
281783
291882
301981
311981

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Cartagena gets around 265 mm of rain over 29.2 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 94% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
194
294
394
494
594
694
794
894
994
1094
1194
1294
1394
1494
1594
1694
1794
1894
1994
2094
2194
2294
2394
2494
2594
2693
2793
2893
2992
3092
3192

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the miserable band about 80% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11387
21387
31387
41486
51486
61585
71684
81783
91882
101882
111981
122080
132179
142179
152278
162278
172377
182377
192377
202377
212377
222377
232377
242377
252278
262278
272278
282179
292179
302179
312179

Wind in October

Winds average 9 km/h in October.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 5:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:545:48
211.95:545:48
311.95:545:47
411.95:545:46
511.95:545:46
611.95:545:45
711.95:545:45
811.85:545:44
911.85:545:44
1011.85:545:43
1111.85:545:42
1211.85:545:42
1311.85:545:41
1411.85:545:41
1511.85:545:40
1611.85:545:40
1711.85:545:40
1811.75:545:39
1911.75:545:39
2011.75:545:38
2111.75:555:38
2211.75:555:37
2311.75:555:37
2411.75:555:37
2511.75:555:36
2611.75:555:36
2711.75:565:36
2811.75:565:35
2911.65:565:35
3011.65:565:35
3111.65:575:35

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.71 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 — October's 4.71 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Cartagena

In seasonPeak

In October, 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 October a good time to visit Cartagena?

Our two travel scores rate October 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
11th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cartagena.

What to pack for Cartagena in October

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

In October, Cartagena sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Cartagena in October

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 11 (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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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