Climate of Nariño

The department of Nariño presents one of the most marked climatic diversities in Colombia, resulting from its position in the far southwest of the country, bordering Ecuador, and its extraordinary topographical variety. Pasto, its capital, is at 2,527 meters above sea level on the Túquerres-Ipiales high plateau and records an average temperature of 14 °C, with frequent fog. The Galeras Volcano (4,276 m), which dominates the Pasto landscape, imprints its own characteristics on the local climate. To the west, the Nariño Pacific coast —with Tumaco as its main port— has temperatures of 28 °C and rainfall exceeding 3,000 mm annually, characteristic of the hyper-humid Pacific coast. The border with Ecuador, in Ipiales, has a cold and cloudy climate similar to Pasto.

THERMAL FLOORS OF NARIÑO

Temperature in Nariño varies by altitude. These are the department's thermal floors:

Thermal Floor	Altitude	Temperature	Municipalities
Warm Pacific	0 – 500 m	26 – 30 °C	Tumaco, Barbacoas, El Charco, Magüí Payán
Temperate	500 – 2,000 m	17 – 24 °C	La Unión, Samaniego, Sandoná, El Tambo
Cold (high plateau)	2,000 – 3,000 m	10 – 17 °C	Pasto, Ipiales, Túquerres, La Florida
Páramo	> 3,000 m	4 – 10 °C	Laguna de la Cocha, Páramo de las Ovejas

RAINY AND DRY SEASONS IN NARIÑO

Bimodal regime inland: rainy March–May and September–November, dry December–February and June–August. The Nariño high plateau receives 700–1,000 mm annually. The Nariño Pacific receives 3,000–5,000 mm, with no defined dry season. The Black and White Carnival of Pasto (World Heritage) takes place in January, during the dry season.

TEMPERATURE BY MUNICIPALITY IN NARIÑO

Average annual temperatures of the main municipalities of Nariño:

Municipality	Average Temperature
Pasto	14 °C
Ipiales	13 °C
Tumaco	28 °C
Túquerres	11 °C
La Unión	19 °C
Samaniego	18 °C
Barbacoas	27 °C
Sandoná	19 °C

BEST TIME TO VISIT NARIÑO

December–February: dry season in the high plateau; Black and White Carnival in January (Pasto and Ipiales). June–August: second dry period, good for hiking. For Tumaco and the Pacific coast: January–March are the relatively least rainy months.