Most deaths have been recorded in the departments of Cordoba and Sucre, where at least 9,000 homes have been affected by floods.
People have done what they can to save important possessions, using small boats or improvised rafts.
"We have lost everything," Enid Gomez, from the city of Monteria, told AFP.
"And we are very worried because we don't know what will happen now."
Rainfall in January was 64 percent above the normal average, according to meteorological authorities. Heavy rain is unusual in Colombia at this time of year.
Climate change has led to more irregular rainy and dry periods in the country.
