Cartago weather in May

In May, Cartago sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 477 mm of rain across 30.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-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 0% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Cartago's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cartago's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
7th warmest
Overnight low
18°
12th coldest
Rainfall
477 mm
30.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
5:53 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
96%
12th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical May 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 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12518
22518
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192518
202518
212518
222518
232518
242518
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Cartago weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°29128.411.83.8
Feb26° / 18°33426.311.83.6
Mar26° / 18°43530.2123.5
Apr25° / 18°51729.712.13.4
May25° / 18°47730.512.23.4
Jun25° / 18°35129.312.33.4
Jul26° / 18°29329.312.23.5
Aug26° / 18°31729.712.23.5
Sep26° / 18°39729123.4
Oct25° / 18°47530.411.93.4
Nov25° / 18°50629.411.83.5
Dec25° / 18°36529.611.73.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in May, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 0% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 99%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1199
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10199
11199
12199
13199
140100
150100
160100
170100
180100
190100
200100
210100
220100
230100
240100
250100
260100
270100
280100
290100
300100
310100

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Cartago gets around 477 mm of rain over 30.5 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 98% and peaks near 99% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
199
299
399
499
599
699
799
899
999
1099
1199
1298
1398
1498
1598
1698
1798
1898
1998
2098
2198
2298
2398
2498
2598
2698
2798
2898
2998
3098
3198

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 94% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
14942
24942
34942
44942
54942
64942
74942
84942
94942
104933
114933
124933
134933
144942
154942
164942
174942
184942
195932
205932
215932
225941
235941
245941
255941
265941
275941
285941
295941
305941
315941

Wind in May

Winds average 3 km/h in May.

Across May, 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.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 6:06 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:566:06
212.25:566:06
312.25:556:06
412.25:556:06
512.25:556:06
612.25:556:06
712.25:556:06
812.25:546:06
912.25:546:06
1012.25:546:06
1112.25:546:06
1212.25:546:06
1312.25:546:06
1412.25:546:06
1512.25:546:06
1612.25:536:06
1712.25:536:06
1812.25:536:07
1912.25:536:07
2012.25:536:07
2112.25:536:07
2212.25:536:07
2312.25:536:07
2412.25:536:07
2512.25:536:08
2612.25:536:08
2712.25:536:08
2812.25:536:08
2912.25:536:08
3012.35:536:08
3112.35:536:09

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 3.63 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 — May's 3.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.7Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.6Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.6Moderate
233.6Moderate
243.6Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Cartago?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cartago.

What to pack for Cartago in May

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

In May, Cartago sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 31 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Cartago in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 14 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 21UV 15Dec 16UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Cartago in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 1534 µg/m³Jul 1519 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan28Moderate
Feb32Moderate
Mar35Moderate
Apr30Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep25Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov22Moderate
Dec26Moderate
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
16 km
886 m
80 km
5,236 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May 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
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 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).