Santa Marta weather in May

In May, Santa Marta sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 129 mm of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of May to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Santa Marta's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Marta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
26°
8th coldest
Rainfall
129 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:38 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
82%
10th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical May day in Santa Marta reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12726
22726
32726
42726
52726
62726
72726
82726
92726
102726
112726
122726
132726
142726
152726
162726
172726
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826
312826

Santa Marta weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31783
41783
51783
61783
71783
81783
91783
101783
111783
121783
131783
141783
151783
161783
171783
181783
191783
201783
211684
221684
231882
241882
251882
262080
272080
282179
292377
302377
312377

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Santa Marta gets around 129 mm of rain over 10.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 35% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
326
426
526
626
726
827
927
1028
1129
1230
1331
1432
1533
1634
1735
1836
1937
2039
2140
2241
2343
2443
2544
2644
2744
2844
2944
3044
3144

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
107822
207822
307723
407723
507624
607525
707426
807327
907228
1007129
1107030
1206931
1306832
1406733
1516534
1616435
1716435
1816336
1916336
2016336
2116336
2216237
2316237
2416237
2516138
2606238
2706139
2806040
2906040
3005941
3105941

Wind in May

Winds average 18 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of May to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:42 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 6:06 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:426:06
212.45:426:06
312.45:416:06
412.45:416:06
512.45:416:06
612.45:406:07
712.45:406:07
812.55:406:07
912.55:396:07
1012.55:396:07
1112.55:396:07
1212.55:396:08
1312.55:386:08
1412.55:386:08
1512.55:386:08
1612.55:386:08
1712.55:376:09
1812.55:376:09
1912.55:376:09
2012.55:376:09
2112.55:376:10
2212.65:376:10
2312.65:366:10
2412.65:366:10
2512.65:366:11
2612.65:366:11
2712.65:366:11
2812.65:366:11
2912.65:366:12
3012.65:366:12
3112.65:366:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.52 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 — May's 5.52 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Santa Marta

In seasonPeak

In May, Santa Marta sits inside its 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 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 May a good time to visit Santa Marta?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Santa Marta for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Santa Marta in May

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

In May, Santa Marta sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Marta in May

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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