Popayán weather in October

In October, Popayán sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 268 mm of rain across 26.4 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-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 0% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of October to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Popayán's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Popayán's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
11°
9th coldest
Rainfall
268 mm
26.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
5:53 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
90%
9th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical October day in Popayán reaches about 20°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 18°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12111
22111
32111
42111
52011
62011
72011
82011
92011
102011
112011
122011
132011
142011
152011
162011
172011
182011
192011
202011
212011
222011
232011
242011
252011
262011
272011
282011
292011
302011
312011

Popayán weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 2% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 98%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1496
2496
3496
4397
5397
6397
7397
8397
9298
10298
11298
12298
13298
14298
15298
16298
17298
18298
19298
20298
21298
22199
23199
24199
25199
26199
27199
28199
29199
30199
31199

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Popayán gets around 268 mm of rain over 26.4 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 84% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
176
277
377
477
578
678
779
879
980
1080
1180
1281
1381
1482
1582
1683
1784
1885
1986
2086
2187
2288
2389
2490
2591
2692
2792
2893
2994
3094
3194

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16973
17973
18973
19964
20964
21964
22955
23955
24946
25946
26937
27928
28928
29919
30919
319010

Wind in October

Winds average 4 km/h in October.

Across October, 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
155calm
165calm
175calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 5:55 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.05:565:55
212.05:565:54
312.05:565:54
412.05:555:54
512.05:555:53
612.05:555:53
712.05:555:53
812.05:545:52
912.05:545:52
1012.05:545:52
1112.05:545:51
1212.05:545:51
1312.05:545:51
1411.95:535:50
1511.95:535:50
1611.95:535:50
1711.95:535:50
1811.95:535:49
1911.95:535:49
2011.95:535:49
2111.95:535:49
2211.95:535:49
2311.95:535:48
2411.95:525:48
2511.95:525:48
2611.95:525:48
2711.95:525:48
2811.95:525:48
2911.95:525:48
3011.95:535:48
3111.95:535:47

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.62 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 — October's 4.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Popayán?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
2.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Popayán.

What to pack for Popayán in October

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

In October, Popayán sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 11°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Popayán in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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