Kandy climate
Kandy (Sri Lanka) has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). The average temperature over the year is 24 °C75 °F, and about 1,645 mm65 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kandy climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2678 | 1763 | 2271 | 1164.6 |
| Feb | 2781 | 1864 | 2373 | 893.5 |
| Mar | 3086 | 1966 | 2476 | 963.8 |
| Apr | 3086 | 2170 | 2678 | 1556.1 |
| May | 2883 | 2271 | 2577 | 1335.2 |
| Jun | 2781 | 2171 | 2476 | 732.9 |
| Jul | 2781 | 2170 | 2475 | 622.4 |
| Aug | 2882 | 2169 | 2476 | 702.8 |
| Sep | 2883 | 2169 | 2476 | 1014.0 |
| Oct | 2882 | 2068 | 2475 | 2289.0 |
| Nov | 2679 | 2067 | 2373 | 27911 |
| Dec | 2578 | 1966 | 2272 | 2439.6 |
| Year | 3086 | 1763 | 2475 | 1,64565 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87% | 64% | 4.8 | 11:44 |
| Feb | 83% | 56% | 5.7 | 11:53 |
| Mar | 77% | 55% | 6.2 | 12:04 |
| Apr | 78% | 68% | 5.8 | 12:17 |
| May | 83% | 74% | 5.3 | 12:27 |
| Jun | 84% | 80% | 5.1 | 12:33 |
| Jul | 82% | 83% | 5.1 | 12:30 |
| Aug | 81% | 81% | 5.2 | 12:21 |
| Sep | 80% | 75% | 5.3 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 83% | 76% | 5.1 | 11:57 |
| Nov | 89% | 77% | 4.5 | 11:47 |
| Dec | 90% | 74% | 4.2 | 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 Kandy is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 21 °C70 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 26 °C78 °F and lows 17 °C63 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4 °C7.1 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,645 mm65 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 46% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (279 mm11 in), the driest is July (62 mm2.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 77% in March to 90% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 55%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in April to 15 km/h (9 mph) in June.
Best time to visit Kandy
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–August: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 62 mm2.4 in to 73 mm2.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (279 mm11 in) and humid (89% 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 Kandy
- Wetter months (April, October–December) — highs 2578 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1966 to 21 °C70 °F, about 226 mm8.9 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, May–September) — highs 2678 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1763 to 22 °C71 °F, about 93 mm3.6 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 Kandy compares
Compared with Negombo, about 88 km to the west, Kandy is on average 3.4 °C6.1 °F cooler and receives 18% less precipitation (1,645 mm65 in vs 1,998 mm79 in). The difference is largest in January (4.5 °C8.1 °F cooler).
Of the 6 places in Sri Lanka covered by World Climates, Kandy is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Kisumu (Kenya, Af), Tuluá (Colombia, Af) and Guadalajara de Buga (Colombia, Af).
Nearby places
- Negombo 88 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,998 mm79 in
- Colombo 95 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,998 mm79 in
- Kalmunai 133 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,671 mm66 in
- Trincomalee 157 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,565 mm62 in
- Jaffna 273 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,143 mm45 in
- Thoothukudi 320 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
- Tirunelveli 362 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,293 mm51 in
- Nagercoil 366 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,314 mm52 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kandy?
April is the warmest month in Kandy, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kandy?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 26 °C (78 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kandy?
November is the wettest month with about 279 mm (11.0 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 62 mm (2.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Kandy?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are 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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 297 m, while Kandy lies at about 500 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.3 °C2.4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.