Santa Marta weather in January

In January, Santa Marta sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 4 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Santa Marta's 1st-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Marta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
10th warmest
Overnight low
25°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:24 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
28%
1st clearest
Wind
33 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Santa Marta is capital of the Colombian department of Magdalena.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 13 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
1,700/km²
people per km²
Founded
1525

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Santa Marta reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12725
22725
32625
42625
52625
62625
72625
82625
92625
102625
112625
122625
132625
142625
152625
162625
172625
182625
192625
202625
212625
222625
232625
242625
252625
262625
272625
282625
292625
302625
312625

Santa Marta weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 25°40.311.48.7
Feb26° / 25°30.611.68.7
Mar26° / 25°51.111.98.3
Apr27° / 26°333.312.27.3
May27° / 26°12910.912.55.9
Jun28° / 26°9511.112.65.8
Jul28° / 26°788.412.66.2
Aug28° / 26°8411.912.45.7
Sep28° / 26°14016.412.15.0
Oct27° / 26°19919.811.74.8
Nov27° / 26°12912.111.56.0
Dec27° / 26°222.711.47.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 15%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38218
48218
58317
68416
78416
88416
98416
108416
118416
128416
138416
148416
158416
168416
178416
188416
198416
208515
218515
228614
238614
248614
258614
268614
278713
288713
298713
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Santa Marta gets around 4 mm of rain over 0.3 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
62
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 93% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
14951
24951
34951
43970
53970
63970
73970
83970
94960
104960
114960
125950
135950
146940
156940
167930
177930
188920
198920
208920
219910
229910
239910
2410900
2510900
2610900
2710900
2810900
2910900
3010891
3110891

Wind in January

Winds average 33 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 31 km/h on the calmest days to 35 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

010203040151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
131windy
231windy
332windy
432windy
532windy
632windy
732windy
832windy
932windy
1032windy
1133windy
1233windy
1333windy
1433windy
1533windy
1633windy
1733windy
1833windy
1933windy
2034windy
2134windy
2234windy
2334windy
2434windy
2534windy
2634windy
2734windy
2835windy
2935windy
3035windy
3135windy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:19 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 5:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:195:40
211.46:205:41
311.46:205:42
411.46:205:42
511.46:215:43
611.46:215:43
711.46:225:44
811.46:225:44
911.46:225:45
1011.46:225:45
1111.46:235:46
1211.46:235:46
1311.46:235:47
1411.46:235:47
1511.46:245:48
1611.46:245:48
1711.46:245:49
1811.46:245:49
1911.46:245:50
2011.46:255:50
2111.46:255:51
2211.46:255:51
2311.46:255:52
2411.56:255:52
2511.56:255:53
2611.56:255:53
2711.56:255:54
2811.56:255:54
2911.56:255:54
3011.56:255:55
3111.56:255:55

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.84 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.53 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Santa Marta

In seasonPeak

None of Santa Marta's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Santa Marta sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Santa Marta's monsoon runs September–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

Atlantic hurricane
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Santa Marta?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Santa Marta for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Santa Marta in January

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

In January, Santa Marta sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Pack a windbreaker. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection.

a windbreakerlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Marta in January

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in January — 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.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr26Warm
May28Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Santa Marta in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 11UV 13Dec 12UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Santa Marta in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1719 µg/m³Nov 208 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

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.

3 km
299 m
16 km
1,745 m
80 km
5,612 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Ciénaga 26 km · Puebloviejo 29 km · El Retén 70 km · Barranquilla 71 km · Soledad 72 km · Aracataca 72 km · Malambo 76 km · Sitionuevo 77 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 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).