Popayán in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Popayán sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 757 mm of rain over about 69 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Popayán's 2nd-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
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 11°C
- Rainfall
- 757 mm
- 69 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.2
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Popayán in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C.
A typical winter day in Popayán reaches about 20°C and drops to 11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
Popayán weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Popayán gets around 757 mm of rain over 69 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 5 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.8 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Popayán?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Popayán for sightseeing.
What to pack for Popayán in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Popayán sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 11°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 69 days see rain.
UV index in Popayán in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter 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 Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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.