Santa Marta in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Santa Marta sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 29 mm of rain over about 4 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Santa Marta's best 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
- 26°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 25°C
- Rainfall
- 29 mm
- 4 wet days
- Avg wind
- 32 km/h
- Travel score
- 8.4
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Santa Marta in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in Santa Marta reaches about 26°C and drops to 25°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Santa Marta 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 | 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Santa Marta gets around 29 mm of rain over 4 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 32 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 48 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 5.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Santa Marta
None of Santa Marta's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
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.
Is winter a good time to visit Santa Marta?
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 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 Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Santa Marta sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Pack sun protection and a windbreaker. Worth having: light clothes.
Sea temperature near Santa Marta in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 26°C across winter — 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 Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter 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 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 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.