Cartagena weather in September

In September, Cartagena sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 210 mm of rain across 28.5 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-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 2% of the time in September, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of September to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Cartagena's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cartagena's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
10th warmest
Overnight low
26°
7th coldest
Rainfall
210 mm
28.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:55 AM – 5:58 PM
Cloud cover
88%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
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 September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical September day in Cartagena reaches about 29°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, September runs on par with August and on par with October.

20°25°30°35°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13026
23026
33026
43026
53026
63026
73026
83026
93026
103026
112926
122926
132926
142926
152926
162926
172926
182926
192926
202926
212926
222926
232926
242926
252926
262926
272926
282926
292926
302926

How September really feels in Cartagena

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September averages 30 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
30
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Cartagena weather by month

How September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-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 September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 91%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
3991
41090
51090
61090
71090
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15892
16892
17892
18892
19892
20793
21793
22793
23793
24793
25793
26793
27793
28793
29793
30793

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Cartagena gets around 210 mm of rain over 28.5 wet days in September. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 95% and peaks near 95% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
194
294
394
495
595
695
795
895
995
1095
1195
1295
1395
1495
1595
1695
1795
1895
1995
2095
2195
2295
2395
2494
2594
2694
2794
2894
2994
3094

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the miserable band about 89% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1595
2694
3694
4694
5793
6793
7892
8892
9991
101090
111090
121189
131189
141288
151288
161387
171387
181387
191486
201486
211486
221486
231387
241387
251387
261387
271387
281387
291387
301387

Wind in September

Winds average 9 km/h in September, the calmest month.

Across September, 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.

051015151015202530
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

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of September to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 5:54 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:566:08
212.25:566:07
312.25:566:06
412.25:556:06
512.25:556:05
612.25:556:05
712.15:556:04
812.15:556:03
912.15:556:03
1012.15:556:02
1112.15:556:01
1212.15:556:01
1312.15:556:00
1412.15:555:59
1512.15:555:59
1612.15:555:58
1712.05:555:57
1812.05:545:57
1912.05:545:56
2012.05:545:55
2112.05:545:55
2212.05:545:54
2312.05:545:53
2412.05:545:53
2512.05:545:52
2612.05:545:51
2711.95:545:51
2811.95:545:50
2911.95:545:49
3011.95:545:49

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 5.03 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 — September's 5.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Cartagena

In seasonPeak

In September, 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 September a good time to visit Cartagena?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

September is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cartagena.

What to pack for Cartagena in September

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

In September, Cartagena sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 26°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 September

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in September — 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 September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September 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 September

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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