Cartago weather in December

In December, Cartago sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 365 mm of rain across 29.6 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of December to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Cartago's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cartago's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 25°; 10th warmest
Overnight low: 18°; 7th coldest
Rainfall: 365 mm; 29.6 wet days
Daylight: 11 h 42 min; 6:08 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover: 86%; 3rd clearest
Wind: 3 km/h; 6th windiest
Solar energy: 3.62 kWh/m²
Travel score: 3.6; out of 10

← November Cartago year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical December day in Cartago reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26
Avg low (°C)	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	25	18
2	25	18
3	25	18
4	25	18
5	25	18
6	25	18
7	25	18
8	25	18
9	25	18
10	25	18
11	25	18
12	25	18
13	25	18
14	25	18
15	25	18
16	25	18
17	25	18
18	25	18
19	25	18
20	25	18
21	25	18
22	25	18
23	25	18
24	26	18
25	26	18
26	26	18
27	26	18
28	26	18
29	26	18
30	26	18
31	26	18

Cartago weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	26° / 18°	291	28.4	11.8	3.8
Feb	26° / 18°	334	26.3	11.8	3.6
Mar	26° / 18°	435	30.2	12	3.5
Apr	25° / 18°	517	29.7	12.1	3.4
May	25° / 18°	477	30.5	12.2	3.4
Jun	25° / 18°	351	29.3	12.3	3.4
Jul	26° / 18°	293	29.3	12.2	3.5
Aug	26° / 18°	317	29.7	12.2	3.5
Sep	26° / 18°	397	29	12	3.4
Oct	25° / 18°	475	30.4	11.9	3.4
Nov	25° / 18°	506	29.4	11.8	3.5
Dec	25° / 18°	365	29.6	11.7	3.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 93%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	4	4	5	5	6	6	7	7	9	9	9	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	12	12	12
Cloudier (%)	99	99	99	98	98	98	98	97	97	97	96	96	95	95	94	94	93	93	91	91	91	90	90	90	89	89	89	89	88	88	88

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	1	99
2	1	99
3	1	99
4	2	98
5	2	98
6	2	98
7	2	98
8	3	97
9	3	97
10	3	97
11	4	96
12	4	96
13	5	95
14	5	95
15	6	94
16	6	94
17	7	93
18	7	93
19	9	91
20	9	91
21	9	91
22	10	90
23	10	90
24	10	90
25	11	89
26	11	89
27	11	89
28	11	89
29	12	88
30	12	88
31	12	88

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Cartago gets around 365 mm of rain over 29.6 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 96% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	97	96	96	96	95	95	95	94	94	94	93	93	93	92	92	92

	Rain chance (%)
1	97
2	97
3	97
4	97
5	97
6	97
7	97
8	97
9	97
10	97
11	97
12	97
13	97
14	97
15	97
16	97
17	96
18	96
19	96
20	95
21	95
22	95
23	94
24	94
25	94
26	93
27	93
28	93
29	92
30	92
31	92

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 92% of them.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Humid (%)	8	8	8	8	8	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	10	10	10	11	11	11
Muggy (%)	92	92	92	92	92	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	92	92	91	91	91	91	90	90	90	89	89	89	89	89	89
Oppressive (%)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0

	Humid (%)	Muggy (%)	Oppressive (%)
1	8	92	0
2	8	92	0
3	8	92	0
4	8	92	0
5	8	92	0
6	7	93	0
7	7	93	0
8	7	93	0
9	7	93	0
10	7	93	0
11	7	93	0
12	7	93	0
13	7	93	0
14	7	93	0
15	7	93	0
16	7	93	0
17	8	92	0
18	8	92	0
19	8	91	1
20	8	91	1
21	8	91	1
22	8	91	1
23	9	90	1
24	9	90	1
25	9	90	1
26	10	89	1
27	10	89	1
28	10	89	1
29	11	89	0
30	11	89	0
31	11	89	0

Wind in December

Winds average 3 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	3	calm
2	3	calm
3	3	calm
4	3	calm
5	3	calm
6	3	calm
7	3	calm
8	3	calm
9	3	calm
10	3	calm
11	3	calm
12	3	calm
13	3	calm
14	3	calm
15	3	calm
16	3	calm
17	3	calm
18	3	calm
19	3	calm
20	3	calm
21	3	calm
22	3	calm
23	3	calm
24	3	calm
25	3	calm
26	3	calm
27	3	calm
28	3	calm
29	3	calm
30	3	calm
31	3	calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:01 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 5:59 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7
Sunrise (AM)	6:01	6:01	6:02	6:02	6:03	6:03	6:04	6:04	6:05	6:05	6:06	6:06	6:07	6:07	6:08	6:08	6:08	6:09	6:09	6:10	6:10	6:11	6:11	6:12	6:12	6:13	6:13	6:14	6:14	6:15	6:15
Sunset (PM)	5:46	5:46	5:46	5:47	5:47	5:47	5:48	5:48	5:49	5:49	5:49	5:50	5:50	5:51	5:51	5:52	5:52	5:53	5:53	5:53	5:54	5:54	5:55	5:55	5:56	5:56	5:57	5:57	5:58	5:58	5:59

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	11.7	6:01	5:46
2	11.7	6:01	5:46
3	11.7	6:02	5:46
4	11.7	6:02	5:47
5	11.7	6:03	5:47
6	11.7	6:03	5:47
7	11.7	6:04	5:48
8	11.7	6:04	5:48
9	11.7	6:05	5:49
10	11.7	6:05	5:49
11	11.7	6:06	5:49
12	11.7	6:06	5:50
13	11.7	6:07	5:50
14	11.7	6:07	5:51
15	11.7	6:08	5:51
16	11.7	6:08	5:52
17	11.7	6:08	5:52
18	11.7	6:09	5:53
19	11.7	6:09	5:53
20	11.7	6:10	5:53
21	11.7	6:10	5:54
22	11.7	6:11	5:54
23	11.7	6:11	5:55
24	11.7	6:12	5:55
25	11.7	6:12	5:56
26	11.7	6:13	5:56
27	11.7	6:13	5:57
28	11.7	6:14	5:57
29	11.7	6:14	5:58
30	11.7	6:15	5:58
31	11.7	6:15	5:59

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.43 kWh/m² to a high of 4.32 kWh/m² in August across the year — December's 3.62 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	3.4	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	3.4	Moderate
2	3.5	Moderate
3	3.5	Moderate
4	3.5	Moderate
5	3.5	Moderate
6	3.5	Moderate
7	3.5	Moderate
8	3.5	Moderate
9	3.5	Moderate
10	3.5	Moderate
11	3.5	Moderate
12	3.5	Moderate
13	3.5	Moderate
14	3.5	Moderate
15	3.5	Moderate
16	3.6	Moderate
17	3.6	Moderate
18	3.6	Moderate
19	3.6	Moderate
20	3.6	Moderate
21	3.7	Moderate
22	3.7	Moderate
23	3.7	Moderate
24	3.8	Moderate
25	3.8	Moderate
26	3.8	Moderate
27	3.8	Moderate
28	3.9	Moderate
29	3.9	Moderate
30	3.9	Moderate
31	3.9	Moderate

Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Cartago?

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

3.6

Sightseeing

2nd-best month of the year

3.3

Beach & pool

4th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cartago.

What to pack for Cartago in December

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

In December, Cartago sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 30 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Cartago in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December 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 Cartago peaks around February 21 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 11 (extreme).

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)	12	15	14	13	14	13	12	12	13	13	12	11
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	12	Extreme
Feb	15	Extreme
Mar	14	Extreme
Apr	13	Extreme
May	14	Extreme
Jun	13	Extreme
Jul	12	Extreme
Aug	12	Extreme
Sep	13	Extreme
Oct	13	Extreme
Nov	12	Extreme
Dec	11	Extreme

Air quality in Cartago in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Cartago is worst in March — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 19 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	28	32	35	30	24	21	19	22	25	23	22	26
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	28	Moderate
Feb	32	Moderate
Mar	35	Moderate
Apr	30	Moderate
May	24	Moderate
Jun	21	Moderate
Jul	19	Moderate
Aug	22	Moderate
Sep	25	Moderate
Oct	23	Moderate
Nov	22	Moderate
Dec	26	Moderate

Location & terrain

Where is Cartago?

Cartago sits at 4.7°N, 75.9°W, 915 m above sea level, in Colombia. The nearest listed city is La Virginia, 17 km away.

Topography around Cartago

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Cartago.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cartago has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 191 m around an average of 936 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 886 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,236 m.

The land around Cartago is covered by grassland (43%), trees (27%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, grassland (55%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km

191 m

grassland 43%

16 km

886 m

grassland 55%

80 km

5,236 m

trees 70%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← November Cartago year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: La Virginia 17 km · Quimbaya 21 km · Pereira 25 km · Montenegro 27 km · Marsella 29 km · Dosquebradas 29 km · La Unión 32 km · Circasia 34 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 Cartago (4.7464°, -75.9117°, elevation 915 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. 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	25	18
2	25	18
3	25	18
4	25	18
5	25	18
6	25	18
7	25	18
8	25	18
9	25	18
10	25	18
11	25	18
12	25	18
13	25	18
14	25	18
15	25	18
16	25	18
17	25	18
18	25	18
19	25	18
20	25	18
21	25	18
22	25	18
23	25	18
24	26	18
25	26	18
26	26	18
27	26	18
28	26	18
29	26	18
30	26	18
31	26	18

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	1	99
2	1	99
3	1	99
4	2	98
5	2	98
6	2	98
7	2	98
8	3	97
9	3	97
10	3	97
11	4	96
12	4	96
13	5	95
14	5	95
15	6	94
16	6	94
17	7	93
18	7	93
19	9	91
20	9	91
21	9	91
22	10	90
23	10	90
24	10	90
25	11	89
26	11	89
27	11	89
28	11	89
29	12	88
30	12	88
31	12	88

	Rain chance (%)
1	97
2	97
3	97
4	97
5	97
6	97
7	97
8	97
9	97
10	97
11	97
12	97
13	97
14	97
15	97
16	97
17	96
18	96
19	96
20	95
21	95
22	95
23	94
24	94
25	94
26	93
27	93
28	93
29	92
30	92
31	92

	Humid (%)	Muggy (%)	Oppressive (%)
1	8	92	0
2	8	92	0
3	8	92	0
4	8	92	0
5	8	92	0
6	7	93	0
7	7	93	0
8	7	93	0
9	7	93	0
10	7	93	0
11	7	93	0
12	7	93	0
13	7	93	0
14	7	93	0
15	7	93	0
16	7	93	0
17	8	92	0
18	8	92	0
19	8	91	1
20	8	91	1
21	8	91	1
22	8	91	1
23	9	90	1
24	9	90	1
25	9	90	1
26	10	89	1
27	10	89	1
28	10	89	1
29	11	89	0
30	11	89	0
31	11	89	0

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	25	18
2	25	18
3	25	18
4	25	18
5	25	18
6	25	18
7	25	18
8	25	18
9	25	18
10	25	18
11	25	18
12	25	18
13	25	18
14	25	18
15	25	18
16	25	18
17	25	18
18	25	18
19	25	18
20	25	18
21	25	18
22	25	18
23	25	18
24	26	18
25	26	18
26	26	18
27	26	18
28	26	18
29	26	18
30	26	18
31	26	18

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	1	99
2	1	99
3	1	99
4	2	98
5	2	98
6	2	98
7	2	98
8	3	97
9	3	97
10	3	97
11	4	96
12	4	96
13	5	95
14	5	95
15	6	94
16	6	94
17	7	93
18	7	93
19	9	91
20	9	91
21	9	91
22	10	90
23	10	90
24	10	90
25	11	89
26	11	89
27	11	89
28	11	89
29	12	88
30	12	88
31	12	88

	Rain chance (%)
1	97
2	97
3	97
4	97
5	97
6	97
7	97
8	97
9	97
10	97
11	97
12	97
13	97
14	97
15	97
16	97
17	96
18	96
19	96
20	95
21	95
22	95
23	94
24	94
25	94
26	93
27	93
28	93
29	92
30	92
31	92

	Humid (%)	Muggy (%)	Oppressive (%)
1	8	92	0
2	8	92	0
3	8	92	0
4	8	92	0
5	8	92	0
6	7	93	0
7	7	93	0
8	7	93	0
9	7	93	0
10	7	93	0
11	7	93	0
12	7	93	0
13	7	93	0
14	7	93	0
15	7	93	0
16	7	93	0
17	8	92	0
18	8	92	0
19	8	91	1
20	8	91	1
21	8	91	1
22	8	91	1
23	9	90	1
24	9	90	1
25	9	90	1
26	10	89	1
27	10	89	1
28	10	89	1
29	11	89	0
30	11	89	0
31	11	89	0

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	25	18
2	25	18
3	25	18
4	25	18
5	25	18
6	25	18
7	25	18
8	25	18
9	25	18
10	25	18
11	25	18
12	25	18
13	25	18
14	25	18
15	25	18
16	25	18
17	25	18
18	25	18
19	25	18
20	25	18
21	25	18
22	25	18
23	25	18
24	26	18
25	26	18
26	26	18
27	26	18
28	26	18
29	26	18
30	26	18
31	26	18

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	1	99
2	1	99
3	1	99
4	2	98
5	2	98
6	2	98
7	2	98
8	3	97
9	3	97
10	3	97
11	4	96
12	4	96
13	5	95
14	5	95
15	6	94
16	6	94
17	7	93
18	7	93
19	9	91
20	9	91
21	9	91
22	10	90
23	10	90
24	10	90
25	11	89
26	11	89
27	11	89
28	11	89
29	12	88
30	12	88
31	12	88

	Rain chance (%)
1	97
2	97
3	97
4	97
5	97
6	97
7	97
8	97
9	97
10	97
11	97
12	97
13	97
14	97
15	97
16	97
17	96
18	96
19	96
20	95
21	95
22	95
23	94
24	94
25	94
26	93
27	93
28	93
29	92
30	92
31	92

	Humid (%)	Muggy (%)	Oppressive (%)
1	8	92	0
2	8	92	0
3	8	92	0
4	8	92	0
5	8	92	0
6	7	93	0
7	7	93	0
8	7	93	0
9	7	93	0
10	7	93	0
11	7	93	0
12	7	93	0
13	7	93	0
14	7	93	0
15	7	93	0
16	7	93	0
17	8	92	0
18	8	92	0
19	8	91	1
20	8	91	1
21	8	91	1
22	8	91	1
23	9	90	1
24	9	90	1
25	9	90	1
26	10	89	1
27	10	89	1
28	10	89	1
29	11	89	0
30	11	89	0
31	11	89	0