Kalmunai climate
Kalmunai (Sri Lanka) has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C83 °F, and about 1,671 mm66 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kalmunai climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 2577 | 2679 | 1666.5 |
| Feb | 2882 | 2578 | 2780 | 1144.5 |
| Mar | 2985 | 2679 | 2882 | 883.5 |
| Apr | 3087 | 2781 | 2984 | 1325.2 |
| May | 3189 | 2781 | 2985 | 1174.6 |
| Jun | 3289 | 2780 | 2985 | 502.0 |
| Jul | 3289 | 2680 | 2984 | 461.8 |
| Aug | 3290 | 2680 | 2985 | 522.0 |
| Sep | 3289 | 2679 | 2984 | 913.6 |
| Oct | 3086 | 2679 | 2883 | 2098.2 |
| Nov | 2883 | 2679 | 2781 | 29912 |
| Dec | 2882 | 2678 | 2780 | 30912 |
| Year | 3290 | 2577 | 2883 | 1,67166 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81% | 66% | 4.4 | 11:44 |
| Feb | 79% | 59% | 5.2 | 11:53 |
| Mar | 77% | 52% | 6.1 | 12:04 |
| Apr | 78% | 60% | 6.0 | 12:17 |
| May | 77% | 65% | 5.9 | 12:27 |
| Jun | 74% | 69% | 5.8 | 12:33 |
| Jul | 72% | 72% | 5.7 | 12:31 |
| Aug | 71% | 70% | 5.9 | 12:22 |
| Sep | 72% | 68% | 5.8 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 77% | 69% | 5.4 | 11:57 |
| Nov | 82% | 76% | 4.3 | 11:46 |
| Dec | 83% | 75% | 3.9 | 11:42 |
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 Kalmunai is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 31 °C89 °F and a low of 27 °C81 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 25 °C77 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.2 °C5.7 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,671 mm66 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 49% of the annual total. The wettest month is December (309 mm12 in), the driest is July (46 mm1.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 71% in August to 83% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 52%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in April to 15 km/h (10 mph) in January.
Best time to visit Kalmunai
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February and March and June–August: average highs of 28 °C82 °F to 32 °C90 °F with 46 mm1.8 in to 114 mm4.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (309 mm12 in) and humid (83% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to 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 Kalmunai
- Wetter months (October–January) — highs 2781 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2577 to 26 °C79 °F, about 245 mm9.7 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 (February–September) — highs 2882 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 2578 to 27 °C81 °F, about 86 mm3.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Kalmunai compares
Compared with Kandy, about 133 km to the west, Kalmunai is on average 4.3 °C7.7 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in July (5 °C9 °F warmer).
Of the 6 places in Sri Lanka covered by World Climates, Kalmunai is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Sri Lanka climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Banda Aceh (Indonesia, Af), Buenaventura (Colombia, Am) and Buenaventura (Colombia, Af).
Nearby places
- Kandy 133 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,645 mm65 in
- Trincomalee 146 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,565 mm62 in
- Negombo 222 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,998 mm79 in
- Colombo 225 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,998 mm79 in
- Jaffna 322 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,143 mm45 in
- Nagapattinam 432 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,051 mm41 in
- Thoothukudi 434 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
- Karaikkudi 448 km · 28 °C83 °F · 915 mm36 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kalmunai?
May is the warmest month in Kalmunai, with an average high of 31 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 27 °C (81 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kalmunai?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kalmunai?
December is the wettest month with about 309 mm (12.2 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 46 mm (1.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Kalmunai?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February and March and June–August.
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 — most of all 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.