Colombo climate
Colombo (Sri Lanka) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 1,998 mm79 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Colombo climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2985 | 2373 | 2679 | 753.0 |
| Feb | 3187 | 2374 | 2781 | 712.8 |
| Mar | 3189 | 2577 | 2883 | 1154.5 |
| Apr | 3187 | 2679 | 2883 | 2268.9 |
| May | 3085 | 2780 | 2883 | 2238.8 |
| Jun | 2984 | 2679 | 2781 | 1435.6 |
| Jul | 2883 | 2578 | 2780 | 993.9 |
| Aug | 2883 | 2577 | 2780 | 1134.4 |
| Sep | 2984 | 2578 | 2781 | 1626.4 |
| Oct | 2984 | 2577 | 2780 | 29211 |
| Nov | 2984 | 2576 | 2780 | 30512 |
| Dec | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 1756.9 |
| Year | 3189 | 2373 | 2781 | 1,99879 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80% | 55% | 5.6 | 11:46 |
| Feb | 77% | 51% | 6.2 | 11:54 |
| Mar | 76% | 54% | 6.5 | 12:04 |
| Apr | 81% | 64% | 6.1 | 12:16 |
| May | 86% | 73% | 5.3 | 12:26 |
| Jun | 87% | 75% | 5.4 | 12:31 |
| Jul | 87% | 75% | 5.5 | 12:29 |
| Aug | 86% | 73% | 5.7 | 12:21 |
| Sep | 85% | 72% | 5.7 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 85% | 74% | 5.5 | 11:57 |
| Nov | 85% | 77% | 4.9 | 11:48 |
| Dec | 84% | 69% | 5.0 | 11:43 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Colombo is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 26 °C79 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 29 °C85 °F and lows 23 °C73 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.2 °C4 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,998 mm79 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 39% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (305 mm12 in), the driest is February (71 mm2.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 76% in March to 87% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 51%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in March to 16 km/h (10 mph) in June.
Best time to visit Colombo
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are January and February. Average highs then reach 29 °C85 °F to 31 °C87 °F. Precipitation is 71 mm2.8 in to 75 mm3.0 in per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (305 mm12 in) and humid (85% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Colombo
- Wetter months (April and May, October–December) — highs 2984 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 2475 to 27 °C80 °F, about 244 mm9.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (January–March, June–September) — highs 2883 to 31 °C89 °F, lows 2373 to 26 °C79 °F, about 111 mm4.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Colombo compares
The nearest larger place is Tirunelveli, about 311 km to the northwest. Compared with it, Colombo has practically the same average temperature. It receives 55% more precipitation (1,998 mm79 in vs 1,293 mm51 in). The difference is largest in April (1.6 °C2.9 °F cooler).
World Climates covers 6 places in Sri Lanka. By annual mean temperature, Colombo is the 4th warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the wettest. See all of them on the Sri Lanka climate page.
Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall. The closest matches are Kota Kuala Muda (Malaysia, Af), Alor Setar (Malaysia, Am) and Buenaventura (Colombia, Af).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia (pop. 219,827), Maharagama (pop. 195,355), Moratuwa (pop. 168,280), Pita Kotte (pop. 118,179) and Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (pop. 115,826). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Colombo, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Climate in Negombo 30 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,998 mm79 in
- Climate in Kandy 95 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,645 mm65 in
- Climate in Kalmunai 225 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,671 mm66 in
- Climate in Trincomalee 238 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,565 mm62 in
- Climate in Thoothukudi 278 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
- Climate in Nagercoil 300 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,314 mm52 in
- Climate in Jaffna 304 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,143 mm45 in
- Climate in Tirunelveli 311 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,293 mm51 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Colombo?
April is the warmest month in Colombo. Its average high is 31 °C (87 °F) and its average low is 26 °C (79 °F).
What is the coldest month in Colombo?
January is the coldest month. Its average high is 29 °C (85 °F) and its average low is 23 °C (73 °F).
When does it rain the most in Colombo?
November is the wettest month with about 305 mm (12.0 in) of precipitation. February is the driest with about 71 mm (2.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Colombo?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are January and February.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station. So they can differ from airport records. The gaps are largest on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 124 m, while Colombo lies at about 7 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.8 °C1.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.