February brings 30°C daytime highs, 70mm of precipitation across about 5 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: wetter, but peaceful, and still good for green season and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Sri Lanka. Month ratings compare months within Sri Lanka only — they are not a ranking of Sri Lanka 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 — Wetter, but peaceful |
| Driest month | January — 60mm |
| Wettest month | May — 370mm |
| Warmest / coolest | June 32°C / December 30°C |
| Seasonality | Fairly even across the year |
| Annual rainfall | 2400mm over roughly 160 rain days |
November gets roughly 343% more precipitation than February — 310mm against 70mm. 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.
January is the driest month at 60mm across roughly 4 wet days, while May peaks at 370mm.
January is almost as good as February, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Sri Lanka beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★★★★ | 30°C / 23°C | 60mm | 4 | 5h | 11.6h | Beach days · Swimming |
| February | ★★★★★ | 30°C / 23°C | 70mm | 5 | 8h | 11.8h | Beach days · Swimming |
| March | ★★★★☆ | 30°C / 23°C | 130mm | 9 | 8h | 12h | Beach days · Swimming |
| April | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 24°C | 250mm | 17 | 9h | 12.2h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| May | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 24°C | 370mm | 25 | 6h | 12.3h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| June | ★★☆☆☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 180mm | 12 | 5h | 12.4h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| July | ★★★☆☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 130mm | 9 | 5h | 12.4h | Beach days · Swimming |
| August | ★★★★★ | 32°C / 25°C | 110mm | 7 | 11h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming · Reliable sunshine |
| September | ★★☆☆☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 230mm | 16 | 11h | 12h | Beach days · Swimming · Green season |
| October | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 24°C | 350mm | 24 | 6h | 11.8h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| November | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 24°C | 310mm | 21 | 4h | 11.7h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| December | ★★★☆☆ | 30°C / 23°C | 170mm | 12 | 3h | 11.6h | Quiet and local |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | August | 11h daily sunshine, 32°C highs and only 7 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | January | 30°C highs with 11.6h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | August | 11h of sun and 12.2h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | March | Scores 64/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | January | 30°C highs and 23°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka: 30°C highs, 70mm 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, 310mm of precipitation over roughly 21 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.
January is the driest month at 60mm over about 4 rain days, against 370mm in May. Across the year Sri Lanka records around 2400mm.
Yes — conditions in Sri Lanka 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.