The climate of Colombia is characterized for being

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and isothermal as a result of its geographical location near the

Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

presenting variations within five natural regions and depending on the altitude, temperature, humidity, winds and rainfall. Each region maintains an average temperature throughout the year only presenting variables determined by

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

during a rainy season caused by the

Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ , or ICZ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the t ...

. International Universia: Climate of Colombia
International Universia Accessed 23 August 2007."Climate of Colombia"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Accessed 23 August 2007

Climate zones

The climates in Colombia are characterized for having

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

s and mountain climate, mountain climate further divided into '' tierra caliente'' (hot land) '' tierra templada'' (temperate land) '' tierra fría'' (cold land), '' tierra helada'' (frozen land) and ''

Páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

. Sometimes the weather of Colombia is altered by the seasons in northern hemisphere, for example, from March to June, the weather is mild Spring, from June to August the weather is hot

Summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

, From September to December the weather is cool

Autumn Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemisphe ...

, and from December to March the weather is cold

Winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

. This happens very rarely, and it is usually a slight difference.

Tropical rainforest

The

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

is characterized by hot and high humidity climate along with heavy rainfall mostly present in the jungles of the Catatumbo, the Amazon river basin the central region of the Magdalena River, the Pacific coast, the paru and others.

Tropical savanna

Steppe

Tropical desert

Tropical mountain climate

Mountain climate is one of the unique features of the Andes, the

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...

and other high altitude reliefs where climate is determined by elevation. (), a classification used in some countries but with variations in the classification of each floor.TodaColombia.com: Thernal Floors in Colombia
todacolombia.com Accessed 24 August 2007. ;Warm climate altitudinal zone: The warm altitudinal zone oscillates between sea level and above sea level with a temperature over . Climate in this step is characterized for its similarities with the equatorial and tropical plains, heavy rains and high temperatures. Temperatures can reach over as it is the case of the Magdalena river valley, which has many areas with jungles. This altitudinal zone is present in the cities like Santa Marta, Neiva,

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

, and Cúcuta. ;Temperate climate altitudinal zone: Between above sea level the temperature drops oscillating between defining it as a temperate climate. Rainfall becomes variable at above sea level and rains between . This climate is a characteristic in the cities like Pereira,

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, Ibagué, Popayán, and

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

. ;Cold climate altitudinal zone: The cold climate is present between above sea level and is characterized for having Andean or cloud forests. This altitudinal zone is characterized for presenting an average temperature ranging between while rainfall reaches a yearly average of . The Colombian capital city

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

is located in this altitudinal zone. Other cities, like San Juan de Pasto and Tunja, are in this location. ;Páramo climate altitudinal zone: The

climate is present between above sea level and the temperature is lower than with icy winds, rare rainfall but frequent snowfall. Colombia has one of the largest páramo areas in the world; the Sumapaz Páramo located in central Colombia, over the Andean ''Cordillera Oriental'' branch. In Colombia, páramos are further classified as subpáramo, páramo and superpáramo. Most of the rivers in Colombia are born here since páramos tend to hold water from precipitations and deglaciations coming from the peaks. Memo.com.co: Páramos of Colombia
memo.com.co Accessed 24 August 2007. ;Glacial climate altitudinal zone: The

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s in Colombia are located at above sea level and up and with average temperatures ranging between and less. Glaciers in Colombia began retreating in the 20th century due to

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

and are in danger of disappearing, if this occurs water supply would be scarce in the near future.63rd Eastern Snow Conference: Retreat of Tropical Glaciers in Colombia and Venezuela from 1984 to 2004 as Measured from ASTER and Landsat Images
easternsnow.org Accessed 24 August 2007.The Guardian: Cities in peril as Andean glaciers melt
guardian.co.uk Accessed 24 August 2007. Most of the glaciers are located in the Andes mountains and are inhabited by very few living species due to its severe weather.
USGS Accessed 24 August 2007. File:Nevado del Ruiz en Colombia.jpg,

Ice cap climate An ice cap climate is a polar climate where no mean monthly temperature exceeds . The climate generally covers areas at high altitudes and Polar regions of Earth, polar regions (60–90° north and south latitude), such as Antarctica and some of ...

in the Nevado del Ruiz File:Páramo de Sumapaz.jpg, Alpine tundra climate in the Sumapaz Paramo File:Tota Lake 1.JPG,

Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

in Tota Lake File:Paisaje rural en Tinjacá.jpg,

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

in Boyacá Department File:Sunset on the Amazon (7613489930).jpg,

Tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

in the

Amazon Rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...

File:NP Llanos36 lo (5853389005).jpg,

Tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

in Los Llanos File:Cabo de La vela.JPG,

Hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

in the Guajira Peninsula File:Johny Cay.jpg, Tropical wet and dry climate in San Andrés y Providencia File:CAÑO CRISTALES – LOS OCHOS 01.jpg, Warm and wet climate in Caño Cristales File:Munchique2.jpg, Mountain climate in the Cordillera Occidental File:Chiribiquete view.jpg, Tropical wet climate in the tepuys of the Serranía de Chiribiquete

References

External links

Government of Colombia: Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies Institute IDEAM
{{South America topic, Climate of Environment of Colombia

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...