Colombia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, and Cartagena
This month in numbers
Colombia experienced its 6th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 24.63°C, marking an anomaly of +1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The global land temperature for April 2026 also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.1°C. Looking at the three-month period from February to April 2026, Colombia recorded its 9th warmest such period, with an average temperature of 24.71°C and an anomaly of +0.8°C.
What changed
The past three months (February–April 2026) in Colombia have continued a trend of warmer-than-average conditions, ranking as the 9th warmest on record for this period. This aligns with a broader national warming trend, as 2025 was the warmest year on record for Colombia, with an average temperature of 25.05°C. Colombia's latest 1-month anomaly of +1.03°C places it 177th out of 234 regions globally, and it was the 2nd warmest in the South America group for April, with Brazil being the warmest.
What’s driving change?
The warmer temperatures in Colombia are occurring during a Neutral ENSO phase, with the NOAA ONI 3-month (February–April 2026) showing an anomaly of +0.11°C. However, a transition to El Niño is strongly forecast for the coming months, with a 61% probability for May–July and increasing to 87% by July–September. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Amazon basin, which could exacerbate existing challenges. Colombia has also experienced significant extreme weather events recently. In early February 2026, intense and persistent rainfall led to widespread flooding and deadly landslides across northern Colombia, particularly in the departments of Magdalena, Atlántico, Córdoba, Bolívar, and Antioquia. This unseasonal heavy rainfall, which exceeded historical averages for February, was attributed to an unusual cold front pushing south from the Caribbean, forcing moisture-laden air over the Andes. These floods affected over 251,000 people and inundated 80% of the Córdoba department. Additionally, wildfires raged near the capital in January, spurred by prolonged drought, record heat, and the El Niño phenomenon.
Looking ahead
The strong forecast for an evolving El Niño phase in the coming months suggests a likelihood of warmer and drier conditions, particularly in the Amazon basin, which could lead to drought stress and increased fire seasons.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Colombia
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Colombia changing?
Colombia is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Colombia come from?
Climate data for Colombia comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Colombia climate data cover?
The Colombia climate profile covers Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Colombia
How often is the Colombia climate update refreshed?
The Colombia climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.