February brings 30°C daytime highs, 59mm of precipitation across about 3 wet days and 11.8 hours of daylight — best for beach days and swimming. The strongest run of the year is January to March. November is the quietest month: wet but green, and still good for green season and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Colombo. Month ratings compare months within Colombo only — they are not a ranking of Colombo against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | February — Beach days, Swimming |
| Best 3-month window | January–March |
| Quietest month | November — Wet but green |
| Driest month | February — 59mm |
| Wettest month | May — 371mm |
| Warmest / coolest | June 32°C / December 30°C |
| Seasonality | Fairly even across the year |
| Annual rainfall | 2398mm over roughly 119 rain days |
November gets roughly 434% more precipitation than February — 315mm against 59mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Daytime highs only move 2°C across the whole year (30–32°C), so timing matters far less here than rainfall does.
February is the driest month at 59mm across roughly 3 wet days, while May peaks at 371mm.
January is almost as good as February, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Colombo stays fairly consistent all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Ratings compare months within Colombo, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Colombo beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★★★★ | 30°C / 22°C | 62mm | 3 | 5h | 11.6h | Beach days · Swimming |
| February | ★★★★★ | 30°C / 22°C | 59mm | 3 | 8h | 11.8h | Beach days · Swimming |
| March | ★★★★★ | 30°C / 22°C | 105mm | 6 | 8h | 12h | Beach days · Swimming |
| April | ★★★☆☆ | 31°C / 23°C | 225mm | 12 | 9h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming |
| May | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 23°C | 371mm | 20 | 10h | 12.3h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| June | ★★★☆☆ | 32°C / 24°C | 179mm | 10 | 5h | 12.4h | Beach days · Swimming |
| July | ★★★★☆ | 32°C / 24°C | 118mm | 6 | 5h | 12.4h | Beach days · Swimming |
| August | ★★★★☆ | 32°C / 24°C | 105mm | 6 | 7h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming |
| September | ★★★☆☆ | 32°C / 24°C | 173mm | 9 | 7h | 12h | Beach days · Swimming |
| October | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 23°C | 348mm | 19 | 4h | 11.8h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| November | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 23°C | 315mm | 17 | 4h | 11.7h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| December | ★★★☆☆ | 30°C / 22°C | 170mm | 9 | 3h | 11.6h | Quiet and local |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | February | 8h daily sunshine, 30°C highs and only 3 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | January | 30°C highs with 11.6h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | February | 8h of sun and 11.8h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | August | Scores 65/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | January | 30°C highs and 22°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Colombo is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
February is the best all-round month in Colombo: 30°C highs, 59mm of precipitation and 11.8 hours of daylight, which suits beach days and swimming. The strongest three-month window is January to March.
November — 31°C highs, 315mm of precipitation over roughly 17 days and 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for green season and quiet and local.
February is the driest month at 59mm over about 3 rain days, against 371mm in May. Across the year Colombo records around 2398mm.
Yes — conditions in Colombo stay fairly even all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Daylight ranges from 11.6 hours in January to 12.4 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.