Climate averages 1991–2020
Santa Marta weather
in December.
A warm, fairly dry month: the joint 9th warmest and the 4th driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a warm month in Santa Marta: daytime highs average 27.2°C and nights cool to about 24.9°C. By daytime temperature it is the joint 9th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 22 mm of rain on roughly 3 days, which makes December a fairly dry month (the 4th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 29 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Ciénaga (26 km away). In December its highs average 28.8°C, 1.6°C warmer than Santa Marta, with 87 mm of rain.
Among the 46 cities listed in Colombia, Santa Marta ranks joint 24th of 46 for the warmest December highs and 1st of 46 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 46 cities is 25.7°C; Santa Marta is 1.5°C warmer than that mean.
From December to January, average highs fall by 0.3°C to 26.9°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 22 mm to 3.8 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Santa Marta climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26.9°C24.3°C | 24.3°C | 3.8 | 0.3 | 11.512 h |
| February | 27.0°C24.3°C | 24.3°C | 2.8 | 0.6 | 11.812 h |
| March | 27.2°C24.5°C | 24.5°C | 5.4 | 1.1 | 12.112 h |
| April | 27.7°C25.1°C | 25.1°C | 33 | 3.3 | 12.412 h |
| May | 28.1°C25.3°C | 25.3°C | 128 | 10.9 | 12.613 h |
| June | 28.4°C25.6°C | 25.6°C | 95 | 11.1 | 12.813 h |
| July | 28.1°C25.6°C | 25.6°C | 78 | 8.4 | 12.713 h |
| August | 28.3°C25.6°C | 25.6°C | 84 | 11.9 | 12.512 h |
| September | 28.3°C25.2°C | 25.2°C | 140 | 16.4 | 12.212 h |
| October | 27.9°C24.8°C | 24.8°C | 199 | 19.8 | 11.912 h |
| November | 27.5°C25.0°C | 25.0°C | 129 | 12.1 | 11.612 h |
| December, selected | 27.2°C24.9°C | 24.9°C | 22 | 2.7 | 11.511 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Ciénaga in DecemberColombia · 26 kmHigh 28.8°C · Low 24.8°C · 87 mm rain
- Barranquilla in DecemberColombia · 71 kmHigh 28.1°C · Low 25.8°C · 38 mm rain
- Soledad in DecemberColombia · 72 kmHigh 28.8°C · Low 25.5°C · 38 mm rain
- Sabanalarga in DecemberColombia · 104 kmHigh 30.0°C · Low 23.8°C · 52 mm rain
- Valledupar in DecemberColombia · 134 kmHigh 27.2°C · Low 20.9°C · 90 mm rain
- Riohacha in DecemberColombia · 144 kmHigh 29.7°C · Low 24.0°C · 45 mm rain
- Cartagena in DecemberColombia · 170 kmHigh 30.1°C · Low 24.5°C · 61 mm rain
- Maicao in DecemberColombia · 214 kmHigh 29.5°C · Low 23.9°C · 40 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Santa Marta) is explained once on the Santa Marta year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.