Cartagena in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Cartagena sees average daytime highs around 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 76 mm of rain over about 15 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Cartagena's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Cartagena has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Cartagena's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 30°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 25°C
- Rainfall
- 76 mm
- 15 wet days
- Avg wind
- 19 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Cartagena in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 30°C.
A typical winter day in Cartagena reaches about 30°C and drops to 25°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Cartagena
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 90 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Cartagena weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31° / 25° | 9 | 2.3 | 11.5 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 31° / 25° | 6 | 1.6 | 11.7 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 31° / 26° | 19 | 4.5 | 11.9 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 31° / 26° | 75 | 15.7 | 12.2 | 3.9 |
| May | 30° / 26° | 181 | 26.2 | 12.5 | 3.0 |
| Jun | 30° / 26° | 176 | 25.4 | 12.6 | 3.0 |
| Jul | 30° / 26° | 157 | 25.1 | 12.5 | 3.1 |
| Aug | 30° / 26° | 186 | 27.6 | 12.3 | 2.9 |
| Sep | 29° / 26° | 210 | 28.5 | 12.1 | 2.8 |
| Oct | 29° / 25° | 265 | 29.2 | 11.8 | 2.9 |
| Nov | 29° / 25° | 201 | 24.4 | 11.5 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 30° / 25° | 61 | 10.9 | 11.4 | 5.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Cartagena gets around 76 mm of rain over 15 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 19 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Cartagena
None of Cartagena's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Cartagena's rainy season runs May–November, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Cartagena?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Cartagena for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Cartagena in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Cartagena sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Cartagena in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 28°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 27 | Warm |
| Apr | 28 | Warm |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 30 | Tropical |
| Jul | 30 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 30 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 29 | Tropical |
| Dec | 29 | Tropical |
UV index in Cartagena in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Very high |
| Dec | 9 | Very high |
Air quality in Cartagena in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 17 | 21 | 26 | 30 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 27 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 17 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Moderate |
| Feb | 21 | Moderate |
| Mar | 26 | Moderate |
| Apr | 30 | Moderate |
| May | 33 | Moderate |
| Jun | 34 | Moderate |
| Jul | 35 | Moderate |
| Aug | 27 | Moderate |
| Sep | 19 | Moderate |
| Oct | 16 | Moderate |
| Nov | 14 | Moderate |
| Dec | 17 | Moderate |
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.
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
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.