Santa Marta weather in October

In October, Santa Marta sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 199 mm of rain across 19.8 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-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 11% of the time in October, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Santa Marta's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Marta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
26°
7th coldest
Rainfall
199 mm
19.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
5:49 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
78%
8th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical October day in Santa Marta reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132726
142726
152726
162726
172726
182726
192726
202726
212726
222726
232726
242726
252726
262726
272726
282726
292726
302726
312726

Santa Marta weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 5th-warmest and 1st-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31981
42080
51981
61981
71981
81981
91981
101981
111981
121981
131981
141981
151981
161981
172179
182179
192179
202179
212278
222377
232377
242377
252476
262476
272476
282575
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Santa Marta gets around 199 mm of rain over 19.8 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 63% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
163
263
363
463
563
664
764
864
965
1065
1165
1265
1366
1466
1566
1666
1766
1865
1965
2065
2164
2264
2363
2463
2562
2661
2760
2859
2958
3057
3156

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the oppressive band about 80% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
17228
27327
37327
47426
57426
67525
77525
87624
97723
107822
117822
127921
138020
148020
158119
168218
178218
188218
198317
208317
218317
228416
238416
248416
258416
268515
278515
288515
298614
308614
318713

Wind in October

Winds average 14 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 5:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:495:43
211.95:495:42
311.95:495:42
411.95:495:41
511.95:495:40
611.85:495:40
711.85:495:39
811.85:495:39
911.85:495:38
1011.85:495:37
1111.85:495:37
1211.85:495:36
1311.85:495:36
1411.85:495:35
1511.85:495:35
1611.75:495:34
1711.75:505:34
1811.75:505:33
1911.75:505:33
2011.75:505:32
2111.75:505:32
2211.75:505:31
2311.75:505:31
2411.75:515:31
2511.75:515:30
2611.65:515:30
2711.65:515:30
2811.65:515:29
2911.65:525:29
3011.65:525:29
3111.65:525:28

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.03 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 — October's 5.03 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Santa Marta

In seasonPeak

In October, Santa Marta sits inside 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.

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

Is October a good time to visit Santa Marta?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Santa Marta for sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Marta in October

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

In October, Santa Marta sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Marta in October

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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