Popayán in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Popayán sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 785 mm of rain over about 71 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across spring, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Popayán's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. Popayán 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 Popayán's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 785 mm
- 71 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.0
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Popayán in Spring
Across spring, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C.
A typical spring day in Popayán reaches about 20°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest March.
Popayán weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) 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 | 20° / 11° | 233 | 21.9 | 11.9 | 4.4 |
| Feb | 20° / 11° | 230 | 21.3 | 11.9 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 20° / 12° | 299 | 25.4 | 12 | 3.9 |
| Apr | 20° / 12° | 289 | 24.3 | 12.1 | 3.8 |
| May | 20° / 12° | 197 | 21.7 | 12.1 | 4.2 |
| Jun | 20° / 11° | 93 | 13.9 | 12.1 | 5.1 |
| Jul | 20° / 11° | 64 | 10 | 12.1 | 5.8 |
| Aug | 21° / 11° | 64 | 9.9 | 12.1 | 6.0 |
| Sep | 21° / 11° | 145 | 18.1 | 12 | 4.8 |
| Oct | 20° / 11° | 268 | 26.4 | 11.9 | 3.7 |
| Nov | 19° / 11° | 331 | 28.1 | 11.9 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 20° / 11° | 294 | 25.3 | 11.9 | 3.9 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Popayán gets around 785 mm of rain over 71 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 5 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min in early March to 12 h 06 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 4.5 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Popayán?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Popayán.
What to pack for Popayán in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Popayán sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 71 days see rain.
UV index in Popayán in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 15 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 17 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 15 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 14 | Extreme |
| Oct | 14 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 13 | Extreme |
Air quality in Popayán in Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 15 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Moderate |
| Feb | 18 | Moderate |
| Mar | 19 | Moderate |
| Apr | 16 | Moderate |
| May | 12 | Moderate |
| Jun | 10 | Good |
| Jul | 9 | Good |
| Aug | 12 | Good |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 13 | Moderate |
| Dec | 14 | Moderate |
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.
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 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.