Climate and average weather in Popayán

In Popayán, the weather is mild, wet, and mostly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near mild levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around November.

Best: early June to mid September

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Popayán typically varies from 11°C to 21°C, and is rarely below 10°C or above 23°C. September is the hottest month of the year, while November is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Popayán for warm-weather activities is from early June to mid September.

Hottest
Sep
21°
Coldest
Nov
11°
Wettest
Nov
331 mm
Driest
Jul
64 mm
Rain / yr
2507 mm
246 wet days
Daylight
11.9–12.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
1,760 m
2.4°N
Clearest
Jan
79% cloud

Popayán weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early June to mid September.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Popayán, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

Temperatures in Popayán stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is September, with an average high of 21°C and low of 11°C; the coolest is November, with an average low of 11°C and high of 19°C.

Days typically run about 9°C warmer than nights year-round.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2011
Feb2011
Mar2012
Apr2012
May2012
Jun2011
Jul2011
Aug2111
Sep2111
Oct2011
Nov1911
Dec2011

Average hourly temperature in Popayán

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on September afternoons, near 21°C, and coldest before dawn in November, near 11°C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Popayán weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 11°23321.911.94.4
Feb20° / 11°23021.311.94.2
Mar20° / 12°29925.4123.9
Apr20° / 12°28924.312.13.8
May20° / 12°19721.712.14.2
Jun20° / 11°9313.912.15.1
Jul20° / 11°641012.15.8
Aug21° / 11°649.912.16.0
Sep21° / 11°14518.1124.8
Oct20° / 11°26826.411.93.7
Nov19° / 11°33128.111.93.3
Dec20° / 11°29425.311.93.9

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Popayán gets about 2507 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 8.1 months, from around Sep 21 to May 25, peaking in November at about 95% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Aug 1.

November is the wettest month by volume, with 331 mm over about 28 wet days; July is the driest, with 64 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%110%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetNov 5 · 95%Aug 1 · 27%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan7222
Feb7521
Mar8125
Apr8124
May6922
Jun4814
Jul3210
Aug3310
Sep6018
Oct8426
Nov9328
Dec8225

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Popayán collects about 2507 mm of rain across 246 wet days — roughly 209 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. November is the wettest month with 331 mm, while July is the driest at just 64 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 37% of the year’s total.

050100150200250300350400JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec233230299289197936464145268331294
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan23322
Feb23021
Mar29925
Apr28924
May19722
Jun9314
Jul6410
Aug6410
Sep14518
Oct26826
Nov33128
Dec29425

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Popayán, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around December 11 and lasts for 2.4 months, ending around February 21. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 14% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around February 22 and lasts for 4.1 months, ending around June 27. The cloudiest month is May, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 99% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan 2 · 17%May 9 · 1%partly cloudymostly cloudyovercastclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan1486
Feb1090
Mar496
Apr298
May199
Jun595
Jul1090
Aug1486
Sep892
Oct298
Nov298
Dec1090

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. Close to the equator, Popayán barely changes through the year: days stay near 12 h 06 min of light in every season.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan11.96:206:12
Feb11.96:236:19
Mar12.06:176:16
Apr12.16:056:08
May12.15:596:06
Jun12.16:026:11
Jul12.16:086:16
Aug12.16:086:13
Sep12.06:006:01
Oct11.95:535:50
Nov11.95:555:48
Dec11.96:075:58

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Popayán gets about 0 sunny days a month gloomy — and it barely shifts through the year, holding between 0 and 2 days every month. Clear skies here are a flat line, not a season.

05JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgloomyJan 52 daysApr 80 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan1Gloomy
Feb1Gloomy
Mar0Gloomy
Apr0Gloomy
May0Gloomy
Jun0Gloomy
Jul1Gloomy
Aug1Gloomy
Sep0Gloomy
Oct0Gloomy
Nov0Gloomy
Dec0Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Popayán, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in March, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccomfortabledry
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
Jan9010
Feb8911
Mar8614
Apr8515
May928
Jun982
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct964
Nov8416
Dec8713

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Popayán is typically calm, near 5 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 3.8 months, from around May 30 to Sep 22. The windiest month is August, averaging about 7 km/h (calm).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Sep 23 to May 29, with November the calmest month at about 4 km/h.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmerwindiercalmercalmlight breezeAug 3 · 7 km/hNov 4 · 4 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan5calm
Feb5calm
Mar4calm
Apr4calm
May5calm
Jun6calm
Jul7calm
Aug7calm
Sep6calm
Oct4calm
Nov4calm
Dec4calm

Best time to visit Popayán

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Popayán throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid June, Popayán is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Popayán for general outdoor tourist activities is from early June to mid September, with a peak score in the first week of August.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 4 · 6.2

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan4.4fair
Feb4.2fair
Mar3.9fair
Apr3.8fair
May4.3fair
Jun5.1fair
Jul5.8good
Aug6.0good
Sep4.8fair
Oct3.7fair
Nov3.3poor
Dec3.9fair

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Popayán for hot-weather activities is from early July to mid September, with a peak score in the third week of August.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 15 · 3.6

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Popayán, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

Popayán packs about the same all year — highs hold near 21°C. Across the year the things worth having are rain gear and sun protection.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In September, Popayán sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 11°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Popayán by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Popayán peaks around February 21 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 20 at about 12 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 21UV 16Nov 20UV 12
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May15Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Popayán

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in February the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan8.56.5
Feb8.57
Mar8.57
Apr86.5
May8.56.5
Jun86
Jul86
Aug86
Sep8.56.5
Oct86.5
Nov7.56
Dec86

Air quality in Popayán by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Popayán is worst in March — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (July, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateMar 1419 µg/m³Jul 139 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun10Good
Jul9Good
Aug12Good
Sep16Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Popayán is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecfrost-free year round
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Popayán banks about 2,080 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around September.

05001,0001,5002,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan174
Feb161
Mar178
Apr172
May177
Jun167
Jul173
Aug186
Sep184
Oct178
Nov161
Dec169

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Popayán receives about 4.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy — bright — and it stays remarkably steady, holding between 4.2 and 5.1 kWh/m² all year. For solar panels, output here is a flat line, not a seasonal wave.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmoderatebrightSep 15.1 kWhMay 234.2 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan4.8Bright
Feb5.0Bright
Mar4.8Bright
Apr4.5Bright
May4.2Bright
Jun4.3Bright
Jul4.5Bright
Aug5.0Bright
Sep5.0Bright
Oct4.6Bright
Nov4.3Bright
Dec4.5Bright

Where is Popayán?

Popayán sits at 2.4°N, 76.6°W, 1,760 m above sea level, in Colombia. The nearest listed city is Piendamo, 24 km away.

Topography around Popayán

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Popayán has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 298 m around an average of 1,751 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,679 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,601 m.

The land around Popayán is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, trees (65%) and grassland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (75%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
298 m
16 km
1,679 m
80 km
4,601 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaces
Nearby: Piendamo 24 km · Villa Rica 28 km · Morales 35 km · Suárez 58 km · Patía 64 km · Santander de Quilichao 65 km · Isnos 70 km · San Agustin 73 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 Popayán (2.4382°, -76.6132°, elevation 1,760 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).