Sri Lanka climate
World Climates covers 6 places in Sri Lanka. By annual mean temperature, the warmest is Kalmunai (28 °C83 °F) and the coolest is Kandy (24 °C75 °F). The wettest is Colombo with 1,998 mm79 in of precipitation per year, the driest Jaffna with 1,143 mm45 in.
The most common climate types (Köppen classification computed from these averages) are tropical rainforest (Af, 3 places), tropical savanna (dry summer) (As, 2 places) and tropical monsoon (Am, 1 place).
The highest monthly average high is in Kalmunai (32 °C90 °F in August); the lowest monthly average low is in Kandy (17 °C63 °F in January).
Across the places in Sri Lanka, the months that most often rank as the most comfortable are January, February and June (3, 5 and 2 of 6 places respectively).
Frequently asked questions
Which is the warmest place in Sri Lanka?
By annual mean temperature, the warmest place in Sri Lanka is Kalmunai at 28 °C83 °F. The coolest is Kandy at 24 °C75 °F.
Where does it rain the most in Sri Lanka?
Colombo gets the most precipitation, 1,998 mm79 in in an average year. The driest place is Jaffna with 1,143 mm45 in.
How many places in Sri Lanka does this site cover?
World Climates has climate data for 6 places in Sri Lanka. Each one has a page with monthly averages for temperature, rainfall, humidity and daylight.
When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka?
It depends on the place. Across Sri Lanka, the months that most often rank as the most comfortable are January, February and June. Check the page of each city for its own best months.
Climate of every place in Sri Lanka
| Place | Year | Max high | Min low | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo | 27 | 31 | 23 | 1,998 |
| Jaffna | 28 | 31 | 25 | 1,143 |
| Negombo | 27 | 31 | 23 | 1,998 |
| Kandy | 24 | 30 | 17 | 1,645 |
| Trincomalee | 28 | 32 | 24 | 1,565 |
| Kalmunai | 28 | 32 | 25 | 1,671 |
Year = annual mean temperature; max high = average high of the warmest month; min low = average low of the coldest month; precip. = annual total. Temperatures in °C°F, precipitation in mminches. Sorted by population.
Other cities over 100,000 people
These cities share a NASA POWER grid cell with a larger place, so their averages are shown on that page:
- Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia → data of Colombo
- Maharagama → data of Colombo
- Moratuwa → data of Colombo
- Pita Kotte → data of Colombo
- Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte → data of Colombo
Data: NASA POWER climatology 2001–2025 (MERRA-2 reanalysis, CERES satellite data) — grid-cell averages, not station records. Sources and method.