Cartagena weather in September

September in Cartagena: sweltering, soaked, with clean air — fine if you can take 28 rainy days.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Cartagena🇨🇴 Colombia · Caribbean Colombia & Venezuela · Beach72
  1. 91Jan
  2. 91Feb
  3. 89Mar
  4. 85Apr
  5. 76May
  6. 71Jun
  7. 78Jul
  8. 74Aug
  9. 72Sep
  10. 66Oct
  11. 71Nov
  12. 88Dec

#9 of 12 months in Cartagena · #913 of 1413 destinations to visit in September · comfort 72/100 (tier B)

Days
32°C
Nights
26°C
Wet days
28
Sun
9.4 h
Humidity
87%
Daylight
12 h
Cartagena, Colombia
Photo: Maria Paula Medina · Pexels

What September is like in Cartagena

Wet, humid and quiet: low season proper, with heavy but usually short storms.

monsoonlow season

confidence: high

Traveller notes on Cartagena in September

Cartagena-forum threads on September weather are direct that it's hot and very humid, temperatures reliably above 90 Fahrenheit with humidity to match, part of the region's rainy season. Posters are consistent the pattern is heavy bursts rather than all-day rain, showers typically striking hard in the late afternoon or early evening and clearing after a few hours rather than settling in for the whole day. It doesn't rain every single day even in this wetter stretch, sun still showing up regularly between the downpours. September also marks the low season for tourism here, translating into noticeably cheaper accommodation and thinner crowds at the walled city's main sights. Regulars say the trade-off is entirely reasonable for anyone willing to duck into museums or covered arcades when a shower rolls through. The record: 32.3C days feeling like a punishing 40C, 25.7C nights, a notably high 194mm across 28.1 days, 87 percent humidity, a 30.7C sea and 9.4 hours of sun.
GetsemaniSeptemberRegular · September · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Other months in Cartagena

Regulars are specific this marks the start of the region's dry season, hot and sunny weather becoming the norm, though the sea itself tends to turn genuinely rough by afternoon even on an otherwise calm-looking day, calmest early in the morning. Our row backs that hot, still-humid read, 32.1C reading as a brutal 38C, over 24.6C nights, with 31.3mm of rain across 8.3 days and humidity at 82 percent. Regulars are consistent this counts as genuine high season locally, with Colombians themselves traveling for the holidays, driving up prices and traffic noticeably beyond the rest of the year. The sea sits at a warm 29.4C for anyone timing a swim around the calmer morning hours. The record: 10.3 hours of sun, a 20.8 kph wind and AQI 46.
DrySeasonStartsButSeasGetRoughAfternoons · December · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Cartagena-forum threads on May weather confirm the wet season is properly underway, hot, muggy days broken up by frequent, often heavy showers that posters consistently describe as short bursts rather than an all-day soak, sun and high humidity typically returning within an hour or two of a storm passing. Regulars are clear this isn't a reason to avoid the month - the old walled city and its rooftop bars stay fully in swing regardless, and a passing downpour is treated as routine rather than trip-altering. Santa Marta up the coast is repeatedly named a notably less wet alternative for anyone wanting more guaranteed beach time on the same trip. The standing local advice is light, breathable clothing over rain gear, since the heat makes anything heavier miserable between showers. The record: 32.4C days feeling like a punishing 39C, 26.2C nights, an extraordinarily high 176mm across nearly 25 days, a 29.4C sea and 85 percent humidity.
GetsemaniMayRegular · May · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
The Cartagena forum has a standing answer to every weather question, which is that the city is hot and humid all year - 85 to 95F every day, and enough sun even inside the rainy season. March is the good version of that: the end of the December-to-April dry season, which our row gives as 12.8mm across 3.5 days. The detail worth planning the day around is the breeze. Mornings are very warm and still; by around noon the wind comes up off the sea and gives real relief, which our row carries as 26.1 kph. Until then, shade. The record: 32.1C days that feel like 37C, 24.7C nights, humidity 73 percent, 11.2 hours of sun and a 27.7C sea.
TheNoonBreeze · March · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
The Cartagena forum has one famous line about its own weather - pleasantly hot as long as the stiff breeze holds, uncomfortably so the moment it stops - and February is the month that breeze is most reliable. Mornings are already warm, the wind gets up around midday and does the rest. February sits inside the December-to-April dry season but outside the crush: high season runs November through mid-January, so early February is the pick for weather and space at once. Temperatures are put at 85 to 95F every day of the year, with February among the more comfortable of them. The record: 32.1C days that feel like 36C, 24C nights, 1.2 precipitation days, a 27.7C sea and a 27.5 kph wind.
WalledCityBreeze · February · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

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Cartagena climate normals — September

Daytime high32°C / 90°F🔥 sweltering
Nighttime low26°C / 78°F
Feels like (high)40°C / 104°F
Sea temperature31°C / 87°F♨️ bath-warm
Rainfall194 mm / 7.7 in⛈ soaked
Rainy days28 days
Humidity87%💦 very humid
Dew point26°C / 78°F
Sunshine9.4 h/day
Daylight12.2 h
Wind15 km/h / 9 mph
Air quality (US AQI)44🍃 good

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Cartagena in September

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Quietthe editor's quiet month, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

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Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Cartagena's weather

Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).

Fair weatherCartagena's weather peaks January–March.

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Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather

What's on in Cartagena in September

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Season

    Rains and street flooding

    15 Aug – 15 Nov · usuallyMonsoonRisk

    The wettest stretch of the year comes in short violent afternoons, and the old city's streets turn into arroyos deep enough to strand a taxi for an hour before it drains away. Source ↗

What's on around the world in September →

Where is Cartagena?

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Cartagena in September — FAQ

Is September a good time to visit Cartagena?
September in Cartagena: sweltering, soaked, with clean air — fine if you can take 28 rainy days. It ranks #9 of 12 months for Cartagena on SeasonMap's comfort score (72/100).
What is the weather like in Cartagena in September?
In September, Cartagena averages a daily high of 32.3°C and a low of 25.7°C, with about 194.4 mm of rain over roughly 28.1 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Cartagena in September?
Cartagena has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 44 in September.