Popayán weather in August

In August, Popayán sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 64 mm of rain across 9.9 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of August to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Popayán's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Popayán's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
11°
5th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
9.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:08 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
82%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical August day in Popayán reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°C warmer than July and on par with September.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12011
22011
32011
42011
52011
62111
72111
82111
92111
102111
112111
122111
132111
142111
152111
162111
172111
182111
192111
202111
212111
222111
232111
242111
252111
262111
272111
282111
292111
302111
312111

Popayán weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

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

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21684
31585
41684
51684
61684
71684
81684
91684
101684
111684
121684
131684
141585
151585
161585
171585
181585
191486
201486
211486
221486
231486
241486
251486
261486
271486
281387
291387
301288
311288

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Popayán gets around 64 mm of rain over 9.9 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 33% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
326
426
527
627
727
827
928
1028
1128
1229
1329
1430
1531
1632
1732
1833
1934
2035
2135
2236
2337
2437
2538
2639
2740
2841
2942
3042
3143

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in August

Winds average 7 km/h in August, the windiest month of the year.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of August to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 6:05 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:096:16
212.16:096:16
312.16:096:15
412.16:096:15
512.16:096:15
612.16:096:15
712.16:096:15
812.16:096:15
912.16:096:15
1012.16:096:14
1112.16:096:14
1212.16:096:14
1312.16:096:14
1412.16:086:13
1512.16:086:13
1612.16:086:13
1712.16:086:13
1812.16:086:12
1912.16:086:12
2012.16:076:12
2112.16:076:12
2212.16:076:11
2312.16:076:11
2412.16:076:11
2512.16:066:10
2612.16:066:10
2712.16:066:09
2812.16:066:09
2912.16:066:09
3012.16:056:08
3112.06:056:08

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.99 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.23 kWh/m² to a high of 4.99 kWh/m² in February across the year — August's 4.99 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Popayán?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Popayán for sightseeing.

What to pack for Popayán in August

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

In August, Popayán sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Popayán in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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

Air quality in Popayán in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

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
August weather 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).