What’s the weather like in Bogota? What weather to expect on a trip to Colombia’s capital, located in the center of the country at an altitude of 2.600 m in the Andes mountains. In this post, we take a closer look at the weather in Bogotá.
What’s the best time of year to visit Bogotá? Does it rain a lot? What’s the temperature like? What’s the best season for sunshine?
Bogota weather
- Climate classification: cold and semi-humid*
- Rainfall: bimodal (two dry seasons and two wet seasons)
- Average temperature: 13° C
- Precipitation: 180 days/year
- Average humidity: 80%
- Average sunshine: 4h/day
- Altitude: 2640m
- Region: Andes
- County: Cundimarca
*Classification Caldas – Lang
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Climate in Bogota
Best time to visit the Colombian capital
Bogotá’s climate is defined as cold and dry, which may seem surprising given Bogotá’s reputation for difficult weather with lots of rain… In reality, this is not the case.
It rains less in Bogotá than in Medellin, for example! And the capital’s rainfall and humidity levels are more in line with the national average. But as we shall see, it’s in terms of temperature and sunshine that things really take a turn for the worse…
As elsewhere in Colombia, the climate is “bimodal”, with two dry seasons (verano) and two wet seasons (invierno). In Spanish, “verano” means summer, and “invierno” means winter, but here in Colombia these notions are totally different:
- Verano: dry season
- Invierno: wet season
| Season | Climate | Months |
|---|---|---|
| Verano | dry season | December, January, February, July, August |
| Invierno | wet season | April, May, October, November |
The “verano” (drier) seasons run from mid-December to late February, and from early July to late August. The “invierno” (wetter) seasons run from late March to early June, and from late September to early December.
What’s the weather like in Bogotá?
Best time to visit Bogota
What’s the weather like in the Colombian capital month by month? This table gives you the average weather data for each month:
- Minimum and maximum temperatures
- Daily sunshine duration
- Percentage of humidity
- Rainfall amounts
| Month | Season | Temperature (°C) | Sunshine(h/d) | Humidity (%) | Precipitation (mm/d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Verano | 6°-20° | 6h | 80% | 28mm |
| February | Verano | 6°-20° | 5,5h | 80% | 45mm |
| March | Intermediate | 6°-20° | 4,5h | 80% | 72mm |
| April | Invierno | 6°-20° | 3,5h | 80% | 110mm |
| May | Invierno | 6°-20° | 3,5h | 80% | 107mm |
| June | Intermediate | 6°-20° | 4h | 80% | 58mm |
| July | Verano | 6°-20° | 4,5h | 80% | 46mm |
| August | Verano | 6°-20° | 4,5h | 80% | 44mm |
| September | Intermediate | 6°-20° | 4h | 80% | 64mm |
| October | Invierno | 6°-20° | 4h | 80% | 111mm |
| November | Invierno | 6°-20° | 4h | 80% | 93mm |
| December | Verano | 6°-20° | 5h | 80% | 58mm |
Rain in Bogota
Best time to visit the Colombian capital
The average annual rainfall in the capital is 840 mm, which puts it at the lower end of the national average. It’s safe to say that it doesn‘t rain that much in Bogotá!
There are 189 rainy days in the year (which doesn’t mean it rains all day).
| Season | Number of days with rain in Bogotá (average) |
|---|---|
| Verano | 8 days per month |
| Invierno | 18 days per month |
| Year | 189 days a year |
During the dry season, there’s very little rain in Bogotá. This is also reflected in the sunshine, which is really present during the verano months.
During the wet season, of course, it rains more, and it’s the combination of this rain with cold temperatures that gives Bogotá’s climate its bad reputation;-).
Relative humidity varies throughout the year between 77 and 83%, being highest in April and November and lowest in July.
Temperatures in Bogota
Best time to visit Bogota
Bogotá’s climate is described as cold, which translates into an average temperature of 13°C all year round. At an altitude of over 2.500 m, nights are cool, and when the sun isn’t out, or it’s raining or gray… it’s cold, so we put on our sweaters and ruanas – in short, we dress warmly.
| Average temperatures in Bogota | 13°c |
|---|---|
| Average maximum temperature | 19°c |
| Average minimum temperature | 8°C |
Bogotá is clearly one of Colombia’s coldest cities:
- At midday, the average maximum temperature is between 18 and 20ºC.
- Early in the morning, the minimum temperature is between 8 and 10ºC.
- During the “verano” season, temperatures can drop below 5ºC in the early morning.
- During the “invierno” season, temperatures can be colder.
Sunshine in Bogota
Best time to visit the Colombian capital
There’s a real difference in sunshine between the seasons in Bogotá. When the verano season arrives, the sun shines and the days are beautiful and rarely cloudy. It’s blazing hot and you can get really hot in the sun.
But when invierno arrives, the sunshine drops off completely, and you can have whole days without seeing the sun…
The sun shines for around 4 hours a day during the rainy months
During the dry months, the sun shines for 6 hours a day.
| Season | Average hours of sunshine in Bogota |
|---|---|
| Verano | 6 hours of sunshine a day on average |
| Invierno | 4h of sunshine per day on average |
It’s important to understand that, being at an altitude of 2.600 m, the Colombian capital enjoys very high levels of sunshine. Which means that when the sun comes out, it stings! Although this may seem surprising, we recommend that sensitive skin wear sun cream, just like when you go skiing!
Best time to visit Bogota
Weather in the colombian capital
The best time to visit Bogotá is during the months when it rains the least. But generally speaking, the capital has so much to offer that it’s possible to visit all year round.
| Best months | Rainy months |
|---|---|
| January, February, March, June, July, August, September, December | April, May, October, November |
Best things to do in Bogota
All Year long
Although the Colombian capital doesn’t enjoy the best climate in Colombia, it’s still a destination we love, with lots to do!
Bogota City Tour
All year Long
We recommend a range of guided tours in english, so you can discover the secrets of the Colombian capital and the history of Colombia in general at first hand.
Practical info
For all practical information, visit our general post and our dedicated posts:
