The Medellín weather is a major benefit to living in Medellín and the city earns its nickname as “the City of Eternal Spring” (La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera) with an average year-round temperature of 72.5 °F (22.5 °C).

The climate in Medellín is comfortable and is consistent year-round due to the city being located at a high elevation of about 4,900 feet and also being located near the equator. I even included the good Medellín weather as one of 27 reasons I chose to live in Medellín.

Technically Medellín is considered to have a tropical rain-forest climate bordering on a subtropical highland climate. Due to the elevation of Medellín, it’s not as hot as other cities at the same latitude near the equator.

In this article we look at the Medellín weather and climate in detail, including temperature ranges, temperatures in different neighborhoods in the city, typical rainfall by month, the humidity in the city and the average daily sunshine hours in the city.

When looking at the Medellín weather, we also compare the average temperature, rainfall, humidity and daily sunshine hours in Medellín with other cities in Colombia. In Colombia you can choose your climate by the elevation of the city.

In addition, we look at when is the best time to visit Medellín taking into account the Medellín weather.

Note the above photo of Medellín is from Cerro de Las Tres Cruces during one of the many great weather days in Medellín.

Unfortunately weather forecasts for Medellín may not be accurate

Medellín Weather: Temperatures by Month

The average temperature in Medellín for the entire year is 72.5 °F (22.5 °C). And the average temperature in the city each month typically only varies by about 1 °F.

During the average day in the city, the average temperature usually ranges from 63.2 to 82.1 °F (17.4 to 27.8 °C).

The following table includes by month the daily average temperature, the daily high temperature average, the record high temperature, the daily low temperature average and the record low temperature.

Medellín temperatures by month at Olaya Herrera Airport – 1981-2010, source: Instituto Hidrologia Meterorologia y Estudios Ambientales

There are several other cities in Colombia with warmer climates and higher average temperatures during the year than in Medellín. For example, here is the average annual temperature in four other cities in Colombia with higher temperatures than in Medellín:

• Santa Marta – 82.9 ° F (28.3 °C)
• Cartagena – 82.0 °F (27.8 °C)
• Barranquilla – 80.4 ° F (26.9 °C)
• Cali – 75.0 °F (23.9 °C)

And here is the average annual temperature in two cities in Colombia with lower temperatures than in Medellín due to being located at higher elevations:

• Bogotá – 58.0 °F (14.5 °C)
• Manizales – 62.6 °F (17.0 °C)

Also, there are two other cities in Colombia with similar average temperatures to Medellín during the year:

• Bucaramanga – 70.5 ° F (21.4 °C)
• Pereira – 70.7 ° F (21.5 °C)
• Medellín – 72.5 ° F (22.5 °C)

So, Colombia actually has three cities of eternal spring.

Medellín Weather: Temperatures by Neighborhoods

Not many people are aware that the temperature in different neighborhoods in Medellín can vary by over 6 degrees Celsius or over 11 degrees Fahrenheit for the high temperature of the day.

Lower neighborhoods in the Medellín area like El Centro, Laureles/Estadio and the lower parts of Belén tend to have higher temperatures.

To demonstrate this, I looked at the temperatures at 3 pm on September 23, 2018 in several neighborhoods in the city. At this time the sun was out and it was relatively hot in many neighborhoods in the city.

I used the mobile app Ciudadanos Cientificos this is used to monitor the pollution sensors in many neighborhoods in Medellín. We included this app in our list of the 20 best mobile apps to use in Medellín and Colombia.

These pollution sensors also report the current temperature and humidity. Here are the results of this survey at 3 pm on September 23, 2018:

Temperatures by neighborhood in the Medellín metro area at 3 pm on September 23, 2018

The coolest temperature during my survey of eight locations was in La Doctora in Sabaneta, which is located up the hills in Sabaneta.

While this isn’t scientific and is just one sample, it demonstrates that temperatures vary in different parts of the city. I regularly see that the temperatures are higher in the lower parts of the Aburrá Valley. This shows that it’s possible to choose a neighborhood to live that will have lower high temperatures during the day and cooler temperatures at night.

Up the hills located in El Poblado, Envigado, Belén and Sabaneta, it can be cooler than in the lower parts of the metro area. It’s normally about 2 to 10 °F cooler up the hills (depends on how high up the hills) during the hottest part of the day compared to neighborhoods in the lower parts of the Aburrá Valley.

And higher up the hills such as in Rionegro near the Medellín international airport, the temperature is even cooler.

Rain storm coming with clouds approaching Medellín

Medellín Weather: Rainfall by Month

Medellín typically has two rainy seasons during the year. The two rainy seasons are April to May and September to November each year. And the driest months are usually December to February each month, as seen in the following table:

Medellín average rainfall by month at Olaya Herrera Airport – 1981-2010, source: Instituto Hidrologia Meterorologia y Estudios Ambientales

During the rainiest months in Medellín it normally rains 21 to 25 days each month with 6.3 to 8.9 inches (158.9 to 226.7 mm) of rain per month on average.  And for the entire year on average, Medellín receives 69.0 inches (1,752 mm) of rain.

However, when it rains in Medellín it is typically just a short shower. In El Centro in Medellín, when it rains you will normally see people waiting under overhangs or in shops waiting for the rain to stop, as they don’t carry umbrellas and are accustomed to short rain showers.

Plaza Mayor in Medellín at night after a short rain shower, photo by Yimicorrea

Also, it won’t necessarily rain in all the neighborhoods in the city at the same time or the same day. In addition, it rarely rains for an extended period in the city. Furthermore, you can when rain is threatening and it’s likely to rain soon.

When the sky looks like this it’s likely to rain soon

In my experience you never know when it might rain in the city or in a particular neighborhood. Also, the weather forecasts for Medellín tend to be inaccurate. So, I always carry an umbrella with me in a backpack. But one of the more accurate weather forecasts for Medellín online tends to be AccuWeather.

Medellín has more rain that many other cities in Colombia. Here is how much rain on average, several cities in Colombia receive per year.

• Quibdó – 320.1 inches (8,130.5 mm) of rain – the rainiest city in Colombia
• Pereira – 95.4 inches (2,424.4 mm) of rain
• San Andrés – 74.8 inches (1,900 mm) of rain
• Medellín – 69.0 inches (1,752 mm) of rain
• Manizales – 62.3 inches (1,583.7 mm) of rain
• Bucaramanga – 46.8 inches (1,189.4 mm) of rain
• Cartagena – 42.8 inches (1,087 mm) of rain
• Bogotá – 39.8 inches (1,012 mm) of rain
• Cali – 35.0 inches (888.2 mm) of rain
• Barranquilla – 32.4 inches (822 mm) of rain
• Santa Marta – 21.5 inches (545.3 mm) of rain

Medellín Weather: Humidity by Month

The average humidity in Medellín for the entire year is 67.5 percent. And the average humidity in Medellín each month ranges from 62.6 to 71.7 percent detailed in the following table.

Average Medellín humidity by month at Olaya Herrera Airport – 1981-2010, source: Instituto Hidrologia Meterorologia y Estudios Ambientales

There are several other cities in Colombia with higher average humidity during the year than in Medellín. Here is the average annual humidity in several cities in Colombia:

• Bucaramanga – 85 percent
• Manizales – 83 percent
• Armenia – 81 percent
• Cartagena – 81 percent
• Barranquilla – 80 percent
• Pereira – 77 percent
• Bogotá – 76 percent
• Santa Marta – 76 percent
• Cali – 74 percent
• Medellín – 68 percent

Medellín Weather: Sunshine Hours by Month

Even with its rain, Medellín averages 5.1 sunshine hours per day for the entire year. Each month the average number of sunshine hours per day varies from 4.1 to 6.4 hours per day as seen in the following table:

Medellín average daily sunshine hours by month at Olaya Herrera Airport – 1981-2010, source: Instituto Hidrologia Meterorologia y Estudios Ambientales

There are several cities in Colombia with more average sunshine hours per day during the year than in Medellín, as seen in the following list:

• Santa Marta – 7.7 hours of sunshine per day
• Barranquilla – 7.0 hours of sunshine per day
• Cartagena – 6.9 hours of sunshine per day
• Cali – 5.3 hours of sunshine per day
• Pereira – 5.2 hours of sunshine per day
• Bucaramanga – 5.2 hours of sunshine per day
• Medellín – 5.1 hours of sunshine per day
• Manizales – 4.2 hours of sunshine per day
• Bogotá – 3.6 hours of sunshine per day

When is the Best Time to Visit Medellín?

Medellín is known as the “City of Eternal Spring.”  The temperature is similar in Medellín throughout the entire year. So, you can visit any time of the year and still experience similar temperatures.

But rainfall in Medellín varies during the year. So, from a rain standpoint the best time to visit Medellín is during the driest months, which are usually December to February.

During the two rainy seasons, April to May and September to November, it normally rains 21 to 25 days each month. But rain showers are typically short in Medellín. And during these two rainy seasons you can still expect to see 4.1 to 4.9 hours of sunshine per day on average.

During the rainy season, the weather forecast for Medellín normally includes rain every day. But what this means is that it may rain for a few hours and not everywhere in the metro area.

My father visited Medellín during the rainy season last year and he still liked the weather. He didn’t really experience that much rain, as it didn’t rain every day. And when it did rain, the rain was normally for no more than a few hours.

But there is more than weather to consider when deciding when is the best time to visit Medellín. Also, keep in mind that December is one of the peak travel times with higher prices for airfare, hotels and rental apartments. Another peak travel time is during August for Medellín’s Feria de las Flores (Flower Festival).

Feria de las Flores is one of the peak travel times to Medellín

And if you are looking for cheap flight to Medellín, we previously looked at how to find cheap flights to Medellín and Colombia.

View of Medellín taken from Pueblito Paisa, photo by Jenny Bojinova

The Bottom Line: Medellín Weather and Climate – The City of Eternal Spring

Medellín is famous for its spring-like climate year-round. The “Eternal Spring” climate and great Medellín weather are considered some of the main benefits of living in Medellín.

It’s very possible to live in Medellín without air-conditioning or heating. I have lived in Medellín for over eight years and we only have a few fans in our apartment.

I am now spoiled by the Medellín weather and dislike it when I have to travel somewhere cold or hot: such as Boston during the winter, which was one of my last trips to the U.S., or Cartagena any time of the year.

In addition, “What is the weather like in Medellín?” is a common question asked by expats visiting Medellín. So, we included this question in our list of Medellín frequently asked questions (FAQ).

Sign up for the Free Medellin Guru Newsletter – You can see all of the previous Medellin Guru weekly email newsletters and sign up here.