Cartago in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Cartago sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 991 mm of rain over about 84 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is Cartago's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Cartago 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 Cartago's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 18°C
- Rainfall
- 991 mm
- 84 wet days
- Avg wind
- 3 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Cartago in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in Cartago reaches about 26°C and drops to 18°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Cartago 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 | 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Cartago gets around 991 mm of rain over 84 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 3 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 54 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 4.0 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Cartago?
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 weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cartago.
What to pack for Cartago in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Cartago sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 84 days see rain.
UV index in Cartago in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 13 (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 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 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 |
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.
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.