Geography and climate

Location

Cali is located on the Cauca Valley to the west of the Cauca River and to the east of the Western Mountain Range near the hills known as Farallones de Cali. The city rests approximately 1,000 meters (3,280 ft.) above sea level and its topography is fairly flat. Approximately 100 km west of Cali and over the Western Cordillera, lies the port city of Buenaventura on the Colombian Pacific coast; to the northeast are the industrial town of Yumbo and the city of Palmira, where Cali's international airport, the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón (CLO), is located in Palmira, Colombia. It is Colombia's third largest airport in terms of passengers, transporting 2,667,526 in 2009.

Geography Panoramic Farallones de Cali.

Santiago de Cali is located in a valley. The city is completely bordered by mountains to the West, Farallones de Cali are the closest to the city. The Eastern part of the city is bordered by the Cauca river, North and South both are extended plains, in the first one you can find the industrial city of Yumbo part of Cali's metropolitan area, to the south you can find Jamundí, also part of the metropolitan area. The city is mainly flat, but there are areas mostly to the West that are Mountainous, like San Antonio and La loma de la Cruz, both are tourist sites. There are several rivers that descend from the Western Mountain Range and empty into the Cauca River those rivers pass through the metropolitan area of Cali. In the western part of the city the Aguacatal River flows into the Cali River, which continues on to the Cauca River. In the south the rivers Cañaveralejo, Lilí, and Meléndez flow into the CVC south channel which also empties into the Cauca River. Farther south, the banks of the Pance River are a popular place for recreation and leisure.

Climate

Under Köppen's climate classification, Cali features a tropical savanna climate. The local climate is semi-tropical as the Western Mountain Range screens the flow of humidity from the Pacific coast towards the interior of the country. In the afternoons Santiago de Cali enjoys a fresh cross breeze that originates in the west and blows east. The Western Mountain Range rises from an average of 2,000 m (6,562 ft) above sea level in the northern part of the city to approximately 4,000 m (13,123 ft) to the south. Because of this variation in altitude, the weather in the northwest portion of the city is drier than in the southwest. The average annual precipitation varies between 900 to 1,800 mm (35 to 71 in) depending on the metropolitan zone for a citywide average of approximately 1,000 mm (39 in). Cali's average temperature is 23 °C (73 °F) with an average low temperature of 18 °C (64 °F) and a high of 31 °C (88 °F).

Due to its proximity to the equator there are no major seasonal variations. However, locals refer to the dry season as the city's "summer" in which temperatures can rise to 34 to 36 °C (93 to 97 °F) and go down in nights to 18 to 19 °C (64 to 66 °F). There is another period call the rainy season "winter" in which temperatures can rise to 28 to 29 °C (82 to 84 °F) and go down in nights to 16 to 17 °C (61 to 63 °F). There are typically two rainy seasons: from March to May and from October to November. Regardless, rain can be expected to fall at any point during the year nourishing the city's permanent green and lush vegetation. The highest temperature ever recorded was 39 °C (102 °F) on 16 August 1979, and the lowest temperature ever recorded was 4 °C (39 °F) on 18 June 1979. Cali has only had two instances of snow accumulation, in 1979 and in 1983.

Climate data for Santiago de Cali Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 36.3 (97.3) 36.5 (97.7) 36.4 (97.5) 33.2 (91.8) 32.8 (91) 33.2 (91.8) 34.4 (93.9) 35.0 (95) 34.5 (94.1) 33.7 (92.7) 32.0 (89.6) 32.8 (91) 36.5 (97.7) Average high °C (°F) 32.1 (89.8) 32.1 (89.8) 32.7 (90.9) 32.0 (89.6) 31.4 (88.5) 31.9 (89.4) 32.5 (90.5) 33.0 (91.4) 32.5 (90.5) 31.5 (88.7) 30.9 (87.6) 31.2 (88.2) 31.98 (89.58) Daily mean °C (°F) 23.9 (75) 23.9 (75) 24.2 (75.6) 23.8 (74.8) 23.6 (74.5) 23.8 (74.8) 23.9 (75) 24.0 (75.2) 23.8 (74.8) 23.2 (73.8) 23.2 (73.8) 23.4 (74.1) 23.73 (74.7) Average low °C (°F) 16.7 (62.1) 16.9 (62.4) 17.0 (62.6) 16.9 (62.4) 17.2 (63) 16.8 (62.2) 15.4 (59.7) 15.6 (60.1) 16.5 (61.7) 16.4 (61.5) 16.7 (62.1) 16.5 (61.7) 16.55 (61.79) Record low °C (°F) 14.4 (57.9) 15.4 (59.7) 14.6 (58.3) 14.6 (58.3) 16.2 (61.2) 15.1 (59.2) 13.6 (56.5) 13.4 (56.1) 14.2 (57.6) 15.0 (59) 15.1 (59.2) 15.0 (59) 13.4 (56.1) Precipitation mm (inches) 48.1 (1.894) 60.9 (2.398) 103.3 (4.067) 122.8 (4.835) 97.2 (3.827) 54.7 (2.154) 28.0 (1.102) 46.2 (1.819) 69.0 (2.717) 114.6 (4.512) 98.6 (3.882) 65.1 (2.563) 908.5 (35.77) Avg. precipitation days 9 10 12 15 15 10 8 9 11 17 14 11 141 Mean monthly sunshine hours 183.0 155.8 166.5 139.0 147.1 153.1 189.9 175.1 157.4 151.1 153.8 170.1 1,941.9 Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales