Weather in Sri Lanka

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Like anywhere, the weather in Sri Lanka will depend on where you are and what time of year you are travelling. This is especially true of Sri Lanka, which experiences two separate monsoon seasons. It is hot throughout the year all over the country, except in the hills of the tea country, with the average high hovering around 30°C.

Weather by location

Galle and Colombo

Colombo and Galle are hot throughout the year and located in the rainiest part of Sri Lanka, where rainfall peaks in April–May and October–November.

MONTH	AVERAGE HIGH	AVERAGE LOW
March to May	32°C	25°C
June to August	30°C	25°C
September to November	30°C	24°C
December to February	31°C	23°C

North-west

Sri Lanka’s north-west sees much less rainfall than the south, though the rains are abundant in October, November and December. The average temperature ranges from 23°C to 33°C in Jaffna, right at the northern tip.

MONTH	AVERAGE HIGH	AVERAGE LOW
March to May	32°C	24°C
June to August	33°C	27°C
September to November	31°C	25°C
December to February	29°C	23°C

Kandy

The heat in Kandy, which lies in the centre of Sri Lanka at an altitude of over 450m, is less intense than in other areas. The average temperature runs from a low of 18°C to a high of 31°C.

MONTH	AVERAGE HIGH	AVERAGE LOW
March to May	31°C	21°C
June to August	28°C	20°C
September to November	28°C	20°C
December to February	29°C	19°C

Nuwara Eliya

The hilly tea country gets quite chilly compared to the rest of Sri Lanka. Nuwara Eliya, which sits at just under 2000m, sees average temperatures of 9°C to 23°C. There’s no real dry season here, with rainfall throughout the year, though February and March see less rain than the other months as well as the most hours of sunshine.

MONTH	AVERAGE HIGH	AVERAGE LOW
March to May	22°C	11°C
June to August	19°C	13°C
September to November	20°C	12°C
December to February	20°C	10°C

East coast

In cities like Trincomalee and Batticaloa it is hot all year with the rainy season running from October through till February, peaking in November and December. The average temperature ranges from 23°C to 34°C.