Climate of Colombia

Colombia map of Köppen climate classification.

  Tropical rainforest climate

  Tropical monsoon climate

  Tropical savanna climate

  Hot desert climate

  Hot semi-arid climate

  Highland equatorial climate (dry summer)

  Highland humid temperate climate (not dry season)

  Subpolar climate

  Alpine climate (Páramo)

An uncommon hailstorm in Bogotá on March 3, 2006 product of a combination of altitude (low temperature at an altitude of 2640 meters above sea level) and precipitation.

The thunderstorms of the Intertropical Convergence Zone form a line across the eastern Pacific Ocean and over <.> Colombia.

The Climate of Colombia is determined for geographic and atmospheric elements: temperature, precipitations, solar radiation, wind, latitude, altitude, atmospheric. This generate a large number of climate variants in Colombia, from more hottest (30°C in coasts and plains), until the more cold with temperatures of 0°C in high mountains. Generally is tropical and temperate as a result of its geographical location near the Equator presenting variations within five natural regions and depending on the altitude, being all isothermal (under less 5°C termic variation between hot and cold months). Because it has a very low latitude, there are no four seasons.

Each zone maintains an average temperature throughout the year only presenting variables determined by precipitation during a rainy season caused by the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

The climates in Colombia are characterized for having tropical rainforests, savannas, steppes, deserts and mountain climate, climate in Colombia is divided into tierra caliente (hot land) tierra templada (temperate land) tierra fría (cold land), tierra helada (frozen land) and Páramo. Sometimes the weather of Colombia is altered by the seasons in northern hemisphere, for example, from March to June, the weather is mild Spring, from June to August the weather is hot Summer, From September to December the weather is cool Autumn, and from December to March the weather is cold Winter. This happens very rarely, and it is usually a slight difference.

Köppen climate classification in Colombia

According to Köppen climate classification in Colombia appears from tropical climates until cold climates, including temperate and dry climates with the total absence of continental climates.

Tropical climates

Tropical climates are located in areas of less than 1500 m altitude. All months have a temperature over 18°C.

Tropical rainforest

The tropical rainforest climate Af is characterized by hot (all months over 23°C) and high humidity climate along with heavy rainfall, bewteen 2000 mm and 12.000 mm. Mostly present in the jungles of the Catatumbo, the Amazon Region the central region of the Magdalena River and the Pacific coast.

Cities:

• Buenaventura
• Florencia
• Leticia
• Mocoa
• Tumaco

Monsoon tropical

The tropical monsoon climate Am is characterized by having less rainy periods than the previous one, with temperatures from 20°C. It is located on the border between Af and Aw/As climates, border bewteen Andean Region and Caribbean Region and some interandean valles.

Cities:

• Bucaramanga
• Ibagué
• Medellín
• Pereira
• Villavicencio

Tropical savanna

The tropical savanna climate Aw/As is very common in Caribbean Region and Llanos, in lowlands on de Andean Region as well. Dry season is very strong and wet season have torrential rainfalls. Temperatures from 23°C.

Cities:

• Arauca
• Barranquilla
• Cali
• Cartagena de Indias
• Montería
• Neiva
• Yopal
• Valledupar

Dry climates

The Tatacoa Desert (It is reality a semi-desert).

The dry climate is divided in: desert BW and semi-arid or steppe BS, but only the hot variant of both is presented in the country, hot desert BWh and hot semi-arid BSh. They are climates where precipitation are below 700 mm.

Hot semi-arid

The hot semi-arid climate BSh, it is found in La Guajira and a few other areas in Caribbean Region, also in small areas of Andean Region. Precipitation below 700 mm.

Cities and places:

• Cúcuta
• Manaure
• Riohacha
• Santa Marta
• Tatacoa Desert

Hot desert

It is exclusive of Alta Guajira. The hot desert climate BWh has precipitation below 400mm.

Cities and places:

• Guajira Desert
• Uribia

Temperate climates

Temperate climates is characterized by have at least four months below 18°C and annual mean temperature bewteen 10°C and 20°C. In the country they appear over 1500 m altitude.

Highland temperate climate

It is a mountain climate located in the Andes, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and other high altitude reliefs where climate is determined by elevation. Also called, Highland temperate climate (Cfbi/Cwbi/Csbi), appears because of altitude, but unlike the standard temperate climate it is isothermal. Precipitations normally are bewteen 700 mm and 2500 mm and mean temperatures from 11°C until 19°C.

Cities:

• Bogotá
• Ipiales
• Manizales
• Pasto
• Popayán
• Rionegro
• Tunja
• Zipaquirá

Polar climates

Polar climates are at locations where mean temperatures is below 10°C.

Tundra climate

The alpine tundra climate ETH is located in Andean Páramo of mountains over 3500 m altitude.

Places:

• Santurbán Páramo
• Sumapaz Páramo
• Las Hermosas Páramo

Ice cap climate

The ice cap climate EFH is founded at 4500 m altitude, in Nevados (Spanish: Snowy mountains)

Places:

• Nevado del Cocuy
• Nevado del Huila
• Nevado del Sumapaz
• Nevado del Ruiz
• Nevado del Tolima

• Climate of Colombia
• 
  Ice cap climate in the Nevado del Ruiz
• 
  Alpine tundra climate in the Sumapaz Paramo
• 
  Highland temperate climate in Tota Lake
• 
  Highland temperate climate in Boyacá Department
• 
  Tropical rainforest climate in the Amazon Rainforest
• 
  Tropical savanna climate in Los Llanos
• 
  Hot desert climate in the Guajira Peninsula
• 
  Tropical savanna climate in San Andrés y Providencia
• 
  Tropical monsoon climate in Caño Cristales
• 
  Highland temperate climate in the Cordillera Occidental
• 
  Tropical wet climate in the tepuys of the Serranía de Chiribiquete

Climate elements

Latitude

Colombia has a very low latitud in all its territory. 12°N is the most boreal place at Punta Gallinas. While 4°S the most southern place, at Leticia. Entire territory is indoor tropical zone.

Altitude

Altitude plays a fundamental importance in the climate, mainly in tropical zone where temperature decreases 5,6°C every 1000 m. (Template:Lang-es), a classification used in some countries but with variations in the classification of each floor.

Warm climate altitudinal zone

The warm altitudinal zone oscillates between sea level and 1,000 meters (3,281 ft) above sea level with a temperature over 24 °C (75.2 °F). Climate in this step is characterized for its similarities with the equatorial and tropical plains, heavy rains and high temperatures. Temperatures can reach over 29 °C (84.2 °F) as it is the case of the Magdalena river valley, which has many areas with jungles. This altitudinal zone is present in the cities like Santa Marta, Neiva, Cali and Cúcuta.

Representation of the altitudinal zones present in the Andean mountains.

Temperate climate altitudinal zone

Between 1,000 and 2,000 meters (3,281 and 6,562 ft) above sea level the temperature drops oscillating between 17 and 22 °C (62.6 and 71.6 °F) defining it as a temperate climate. Rainfall becomes variable at 1,700 meters (5,577 ft) above sea level and rains between 2,000 and 2,500 mm (78.7 and 98.4 in) . This climate is a characteristic in the cities like Pereira, Armenia, Ibagué Popayán and Medellín.

Cold climate altitudinal zone

The cold climate is present between 2,000 and 3,000 meters (6,562 and 9,843 ft) above sea level and is characterized for having Andean or cloud forests. This altitudinal zone is characterized for presenting an average temperature ranging between 10 and 17 °C (50.0 and 62.6 °F) while rainfall reaches a yearly average of 2,000 mm (78.7 in). The Colombian capital city Bogotá is located within this altitudinal zone. Other cities like San Juan de Pasto and Tunja are in this location.

Páramo climate altitudinal zone

The Páramo climate is present between 3,000 and 4,000 meters (9,843 and 13,123 ft) above sea level and the temperature is lower than 10 °C (50 °F) with icy winds, rare rainfall but frequent snowfall. Colombia has one of the largest páramo areas in the world; the Sumapaz Páramo located in central Colombia, over the Andean Cordillera Oriental branch. In Colombia páramos are further classified as subpáramo, páramo and superpáramo. Most of the rivers in Colombia are born here since páramos tend to hold water from precipitations and deglaciations coming from the peaks.

Glacial climate altitudinal zone

The glaciers in Colombia are located at 4,000 meters (13,123 ft) above sea level and up and with average temperatures ranging between 10 °C (50 °F) and less. Glaciers in Colombia began retreating in the 20th century due to global warming and are in danger of disappearing, if this occurs water supply would be scarce in the near future. Most of the glaciers are located in the Andes mountains and are inhabited by very few living species due to its severe weather.

Temperature

Temperatures in Colombia is defined by its pisos térmicos as seen above. Much of territory is located below 1000 m, what makes being in the tropics these areas exced 23°C. However, it decrease with altitude, being able to find areas below 10°C. Regardless of this, the highest temperatures happen at midday and early afternoon, while the low temperatures appears at early morning. The areas with most high temperature are Caribbean Region, Magdalena Medio and Los Santanderes Region. In Puerto Salgar, at the Magdalena Valley the highest temperature was recorded in the country, 41°C in 2016. While Vetas, in Santander Department is the coldest municipality on the country, with 9°C mean temperature.

Termic range

Anual termic range is insignificant (less than 4°C in all regions). However the daily termic range is around 10°C bewteen day and night.

Precipitation

Colombia is the rainiest country in the world, with 3240 mm of rain yearly (although unevenly distributed in the territory). The highest levels of precipitation in Colombia occur in Pacific Region because of the big volume of moist air masses coming from Pacific Ocean. It come in to the country from the West and accumulate in the Cordillera Central generating between 5000 and 12000mm rainfall. In the Amazonas Region precipitations are quite high, almost never less of 2500mm. This areas contrast with dry places like La Guajira, where precipitations are just from 261 mm. The rainiest municipality in the country is López de Micay in Cauca Department, it has 15000 mm annual rainfall. The driest city is Uribia in La Guajira, with 269 mm annual rainfall.

Air humidity

Solar radiation in Colombia.

Hot places, except for jungle areas, generally have lower relative humidity than colder areas, between 70% and 80% approximately. In the Andean region, depending on the altitude, the humidity of the atmosphere increases, between 75% and 90%. The highest humidity is found in the Pacific, where it is around 90%, as well as in the Amazon, the Magdalena Valley and the Llanos. The places with the lowest humidity, around 70% or less, are in the Caribbean, La Guajira, and some areas of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense.

Solar radiation

The areas that receive the highest intensity of global solar radiation in Colombia, greater than 5.0 kWh/m² per day, are: the Caribbean Region, northeast of the Orinoquía (or Llanos), large sectors of Meta and Casanare and small sectors of the departments of Cauca, Huila, Valle del Cauca, Tolima, Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Los Santanderes, Antioquia and the islands of San Andrés and Providencia. The highest values ​​(between 5.5 and 6.0 kWh/m² per day and in some places with values higher) occur in the department of La Guajira, north and south of Magdalena, north of Cesar and small sectors of Atlántico, Bolívar, Sucre and Valle.

Climate charts

Bogotá Csbi
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     30     17 6     44     18 7     66     20 8     101     20 9     93     20 9     54     21 9     43     20 9     46     20 8     72     19 7     106     19 8     90     19 8     52     18 6 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.2     63 42     1.7     65 44     2.6     67 46     4     68 47     3.7     68 48     2.1     69 49     1.7     67 48     1.8     67 47     2.8     67 45     4.2     67 46     3.5     66 46     2     64 43 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Medellín Am
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     76     27 16     80     28 17     129     27 17     163     28 17     168     28 18     99     29 18     90     28 18     110     28 17     171     28 17     220     27 17     151     27 17     95     27 16 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3     80 60     3.1     82 62     5.1     81 63     6.4     82 63     6.6     83 64     3.9     83 65     3.5     83 64     4.3     83 63     6.7     82 62     8.7     80 62     5.9     80 62     3.7     80 62 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Cali As
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     52     30 19     78     30 20     103     30 20     122     30 17     117     33 19     48     34 21     28     34 22     46     32 21     69     28 20     114     29 16     109     28 19     78     30 20 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     2     85 67     3.1     86 68     4.1     86 68     4.8     86 62     4.6     91 67     1.9     92 70     1.1     93 71     1.8     89 69     2.7     82 67     4.5     83 62     4.3     83 66     3.1     86 67 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Barranquilla Aw
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     6     31 23     0     32 24     1     32 24     25     33 25     115     33 25     85     33 25     77     33 25     110     33 25     150     33 24     162     32 24     68     32 23     20     32 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.2     89 74     0     89 75     0     90 75     1     91 76     4.5     92 77     3.3     92 77     3     91 76     4.3     92 76     5.9     91 76     6.4     90 75     2.7     90 73     0.8     89 73 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Cartagena de Indias Aw
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     4     31 24     1     31 24     2     31 25     24     31 25     115     31 26     100     32 26     110     32 25     125     32 26     135     31 25     230     31 25     138     31 25     35     31 24 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.2     87 74     0     87 75     0.1     87 76     0.9     88 77     4.5     88 78     3.9     89 78     4.3     89 78     4.9     89 78     5.3     88 78     9.1     88 77     5.4     88 77     1.4     87 76 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Cúcuta BShx
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     30     30 21     20     31 22     38     31 22     68     32 23     57     33 23     32     33 24     20     33 24     30     34 24     42     34 23     107     33 23     86     31 22     72     30 22 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     1.2     87 70     0.8     87 71     1.5     88 72     2.7     89 73     2.2     91 74     1.3     91 75     0.8     91 74     1.2     93 75     1.7     93 74     4.2     91 73     3.4     88 72     2.8     86 71 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Ibagué Am
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     76     29 19     95     29 19     138     29 19     203     29 19     240     29 19     116     30 20     76     30 20     88     30 19     155     29 19     212     28 19     164     27 19     110     28 19 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3     84 66     3.7     84 66     5.4     83 66     8     83 66     9.4     84 66     4.6     86 68     3     85 67     3.5     86 66     6.1     85 66     8.3     82 66     6.5     81 66     4.3     82 65 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Bucaramanga Am
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     90     28 19     101     28 19     138     28 19     134     28 20     131     28 20     86     29 20     106     28 19     86     28 19     111     28 19     132     28 19     111     27 18     78     27 18 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.5     82 66     4     82 66     5.4     82 67     5.3     82 67     5.2     82 67     3.4     85 69     4.2     83 66     3.4     83 66     4.4     83 66     5.2     82 66     4.4     81 65     3.1     81 64 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Pereira Am
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     138     26 16     136     26 15     198     28 17     265     26 15     259     27 17     151     28 18     120     27 17     155     26 16     190     26 17     272     26 17     260     25 16     167     24 15 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     5.4     79 60     5.4     79 59     7.8     83 62     10     79 59     10     81 63     5.9     82 64     4.7     80 62     6.1     79 60     7.5     78 62     11     78 62     10     77 60     6.6     76 59 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Manizales Csbi
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     98     22 11     91     22 12     134     23 12     167     23 12     154     24 13     92     22 12     64     22 12     74     22 12     140     21 12     188     21 12     164     21 12     125     20 12 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.9     72 52     3.6     72 53     5.3     73 54     6.6     74 54     6.1     74 55     3.6     72 54     2.5     71 54     2.9     71 54     5.5     70 54     7.4     69 53     6.5     69 53     4.9     69 53 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Pasto Csbi
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     111     17 10     111     17 10     125     17 10     137     18 10     108     18 10     59     19 10     26     18 9     39     17 9     61     17 10     166     17 9     185     17 10     145     17 10 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     4.4     62 49     4.4     62 49     4.9     63 50     5.4     64 50     4.3     65 50     2.3     65 50     1     64 49     1.5     63 49     2.4     63 49     6.5     63 49     7.3     63 49     5.7     62 49 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Popayán Csbi
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     199     24 12     175     24 13     216     25 14     200     25 14     170     25 14     75     26 15     54     25 14     65     24 15     122     24 13     252     24 13     338     23 13     250     23 12 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     7.8     75 54     6.9     76 55     8.5     76 56     7.9     77 57     6.7     78 57     3     78 59     2.1     77 57     2.6     75 58     4.8     75 56     9.9     75 56     13     74 55     9.8     73 54 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Villavicencio Am
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     64     33 22     129     35 22     227     35 23     526     34 22     627     36 23     522     34 23     439     33 23     416     33 22     396     36 24     470     35 22     411     34 23     157     34 22 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     2.5     92 71     5.1     95 71     8.9     95 73     21     93 72     25     96 73     21     94 74     17     92 74     16     92 72     16     96 76     19     94 71     16     93 73     6.2     93 71 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

External links

• (in Spanish) Government of Colombia: Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies Institute IDEAM