Popayán weather in March

In March, Popayán sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 299 mm of rain across 25.4 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Popayán's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Popayán's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
6th warmest
Overnight low
12°
10th coldest
Rainfall
299 mm
25.4 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:17 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
89%
8th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical March day in Popayán reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12012
22012
32012
42012
52012
62012
72012
82012
92012
102012
112012
122012
132012
142012
152012
162012
172012
182012
192012
202012
212012
222012
232012
242012
252012
262012
272012
282012
292012
302012
312012

Popayán weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 3% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 96%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1496
2496
3496
4595
5595
6595
7595
8595
9595
10595
11595
12595
13595
14595
15595
16595
17595
18496
19496
20496
21496
22496
23496
24496
25496
26496
27397
28397
29496
30496
31496

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Popayán gets around 299 mm of rain over 25.4 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 81% and peaks near 85% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
180
279
379
479
578
678
778
878
978
1078
1178
1278
1379
1479
1580
1680
1781
1882
1982
2083
2184
2284
2385
2485
2585
2684
2784
2883
2983
3082
3182

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
18713
28713
38713
48614
58614
68614
78614
88614
98614
108614
118614
128515
138515
148515
158515
168515
178515
188614
198614
208614
218614
228614
238614
248614
258614
268614
278614
288614
298614
308614
318515

Wind in March

Winds average 4 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:21 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:216:18
212.06:216:18
312.06:216:18
412.06:206:18
512.06:206:18
612.06:206:18
712.06:206:17
812.06:196:17
912.06:196:17
1012.06:196:17
1112.06:186:17
1212.06:186:16
1312.06:186:16
1412.06:176:16
1512.06:176:16
1612.06:176:16
1712.06:166:15
1812.06:166:15
1912.06:166:15
2012.06:156:15
2112.06:156:14
2212.06:146:14
2312.06:146:14
2412.06:146:14
2512.06:136:13
2612.06:136:13
2712.06:126:13
2812.06:126:13
2912.06:126:12
3012.06:116:12
3112.06:116:12

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.83 kWh/m².

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 — March's 4.83 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Popayán?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Popayán.

What to pack for Popayán in March

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

In March, Popayán sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Popayán in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 16 (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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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