Trincomalee climate
Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) has a tropical savanna (dry summer) climate (Köppen As). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C82 °F, and about 1,565 mm62 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Trincomalee climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 2476 | 2678 | 1275.0 |
| Feb | 2883 | 2576 | 2679 | 923.6 |
| Mar | 3086 | 2578 | 2882 | 712.8 |
| Apr | 3188 | 2780 | 2984 | 1094.3 |
| May | 3289 | 2780 | 2985 | 1054.1 |
| Jun | 3289 | 2679 | 2984 | 291.1 |
| Jul | 3289 | 2679 | 2984 | 361.4 |
| Aug | 3289 | 2678 | 2984 | 572.2 |
| Sep | 3289 | 2678 | 2984 | 803.2 |
| Oct | 3087 | 2678 | 2882 | 2268.9 |
| Nov | 2883 | 2678 | 2781 | 32713 |
| Dec | 2882 | 2577 | 2679 | 30412 |
| Year | 3289 | 2476 | 2882 | 1,56562 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80% | 57% | 4.7 | 11:40 |
| Feb | 78% | 48% | 5.5 | 11:51 |
| Mar | 76% | 43% | 6.2 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 77% | 54% | 6.2 | 12:18 |
| May | 78% | 61% | 5.8 | 12:31 |
| Jun | 76% | 67% | 5.7 | 12:37 |
| Jul | 74% | 71% | 5.6 | 12:35 |
| Aug | 74% | 70% | 5.7 | 12:24 |
| Sep | 74% | 67% | 5.8 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 78% | 67% | 5.3 | 11:55 |
| Nov | 83% | 72% | 4.3 | 11:43 |
| Dec | 82% | 70% | 4.0 | 11:38 |
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 Trincomalee is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 27 °C80 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 24 °C76 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.5 °C6.2 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,565 mm62 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 55% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (327 mm13 in), the driest is June (29 mm1.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 74% in August to 83% in November. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 43%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in April to 23 km/h (14 mph) in June.
Best time to visit Trincomalee
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February and March: average highs of 28 °C83 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 71 mm2.8 in to 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (327 mm13 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 Trincomalee
- Wetter months (October–December) — highs 2882 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 2577 to 26 °C78 °F, about 286 mm11 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–September) — highs 2781 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2476 to 27 °C80 °F, about 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Trincomalee compares
Compared with Kandy, about 157 km to the southwest, Trincomalee is on average 4.1 °C7.4 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in July (4.7 °C8.5 °F warmer).
Of the 6 places in Sri Lanka covered by World Climates, Trincomalee is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th 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
- Kalmunai 146 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,671 mm66 in
- Kandy 157 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,645 mm65 in
- Jaffna 181 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,143 mm45 in
- Negombo 216 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,998 mm79 in
- Colombo 238 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,998 mm79 in
- Nagapattinam 287 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,051 mm41 in
- Karaikkudi 317 km · 28 °C83 °F · 915 mm36 in
- Pudukkottai 332 km · 28 °C82 °F · 844 mm33 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Trincomalee?
May is the warmest month in Trincomalee, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 27 °C (80 °F).
What is the coldest month in Trincomalee?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
When does it rain the most in Trincomalee?
November is the wettest month with about 327 mm (12.9 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 29 mm (1.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Trincomalee?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February and March.
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.