Clouds hover over Cartagena during the fall. Credit: Wikimedia

Cruise visitors to Cartagena, Columbia will find the average weather great in the winter and unpleasant in the fall.

Cartagena has blossomed in recent years as a tourism destination. It is often a port of call for long-term Panama Canal cruises and is located about 300 miles from Colon, Panama.

It shares many of the same weather patterns as the rest of the Caribbean coast of South America—heavy rainfall during the annual hurricane season from June 1 through November.

Cruise and other visits decline as a result, but they jump during the dry season

Dry Season

The dry season runs from December through April and especially in January through March.

Over a 30-year period, the city on average has experienced almost no rain during those three months, according to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environment Studies.

December and April have averaged only about one inch of rain over the same 30-year period.

The number of days that it rains also is close to zero for January through March, one day in April and three days in December.

Rainy Season / Hurricane Season

Everything changes in May when the total average rainfall increases to four inches and 10 rain days during the month.

It continues to average about four inches in June and July along with 13 rain days in June and 10 in July.

August and September see about five inches and 13 to 14 rain days. Total rainfall spikes to more than nine inches and 16 rain days in October.

The rainfall spike in October makes it rare among other Caribbean destinations because the majority of them spike in September and decline somewhat in October.

November rainfall declines to a level in line with August and September.

Temperatures

Cartagena temperatures are much more predictable. The average high ranges between 87 degrees Fahrenheit or about 30 degrees Celsius in the winter to 89 degrees Fahrenheit or 31 degrees Celsius in the summer.

The average lows, which take place mainly at night, stay consistent as well.

January has the coolest low at 74.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 24 degrees Celsius.

In May and June, the average low is about 78 degrees Fahrenheit or 26 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures for the city are more consistent than most other Caribbean destinations.