Santa Marta in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Santa Marta sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 468 mm of rain over about 48 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.
Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Fall is Santa Marta's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Santa Marta 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 Santa Marta's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 26°C
- Rainfall
- 468 mm
- 48 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.3
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Santa Marta in Fall
Across fall, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical fall day in Santa Marta reaches about 27°C and drops to 26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest October.
Santa Marta weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) 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 | 26° / 25° | 4 | 0.3 | 11.4 | 8.7 |
| Feb | 26° / 25° | 3 | 0.6 | 11.6 | 8.7 |
| Mar | 26° / 25° | 5 | 1.1 | 11.9 | 8.3 |
| Apr | 27° / 26° | 33 | 3.3 | 12.2 | 7.3 |
| May | 27° / 26° | 129 | 10.9 | 12.5 | 5.9 |
| Jun | 28° / 26° | 95 | 11.1 | 12.6 | 5.8 |
| Jul | 28° / 26° | 78 | 8.4 | 12.6 | 6.2 |
| Aug | 28° / 26° | 84 | 11.9 | 12.4 | 5.7 |
| Sep | 28° / 26° | 140 | 16.4 | 12.1 | 5.0 |
| Oct | 27° / 26° | 199 | 19.8 | 11.7 | 4.8 |
| Nov | 27° / 26° | 129 | 12.1 | 11.5 | 6.0 |
| Dec | 27° / 26° | 22 | 2.7 | 11.4 | 7.9 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Santa Marta gets around 468 mm of rain over 48 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 15 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min in early September to 11 h 24 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 5.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Santa Marta
In fall, Santa Marta overlaps its atlantic hurricane and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Santa Marta sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Santa Marta's monsoon runs May–June, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is fall a good time to visit Santa Marta?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Santa Marta for sightseeing.
What to pack for Santa Marta in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Santa Marta sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 48 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Santa Marta in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 29°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 25°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 25 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 26 | Warm |
| May | 28 | Warm |
| Jun | 28 | Warm |
| Jul | 28 | Warm |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 28 | Tropical |
| Dec | 27 | Warm |
UV index in Santa Marta in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Marta peaks around April 11 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 at about 9 (very high).
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) | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Very high |
| Dec | 9 | Very high |
Air quality in Santa Marta in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Santa Marta is worst in June — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Santa Marta's WHO annual average of 13 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Good |
| Mar | 15 | Moderate |
| Apr | 16 | Moderate |
| May | 17 | Moderate |
| Jun | 19 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 14 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is Santa Marta?
Santa Marta sits at 11.2°N, 74.2°W, 14 m above sea level, in Colombia. The nearest listed city is Ciénaga, 26 km away.
Topography around Santa Marta
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Santa Marta.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Marta has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,745 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,612 m.
The land around Santa Marta is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) within 3 km, water (50%) and trees (38%) within 16 km, and water (48%) and trees (33%) 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 Santa Marta (11.2386°, -74.1943°, elevation 14 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.