Sri Lanka Weather in March

On the west and south coast: hot, showery, highs 87°F (30°C), sea 85°F (30°C). On the east coast: hot, mostly dry, highs 87°F (30°C), sea 84°F (29°C). In the hill country: hot, mostly dry, highs 87°F (31°C). Rating: Excellent — best on the east coast. Driest on the east coast: about 2.1 in (54 mm) of rain over 11 rainy days.

Excellentwarm and dry, warm sea, on the east coast

Day high86°F (30°C)across regions

Sea84–86°F (29–30°C)at the beaches

Rainy days11–20per month

Climate normals checked September 29, 2026 · Source: Open-Meteo (ERA5) · How we calculate

Sri Lanka weather in March by region

Sri Lanka weather in March by region
Region	Day high	Night low	Sea	Rainy days	Rainfall	Humidity	Sun, h/day
West & south coastBentota, Hikkaduwa, Galle	87°F (30°C)	75°F (24°C)	85°F (30°C)	20	5.0 in (127 mm)	83%	10.8
East coastTrincomalee, Pasikudah	87°F (30°C)	77°F (25°C)	84°F (29°C)	11	2.1 in (54 mm)	77%	11.2
Hill countryKandy, Nuwara Eliya	87°F (31°C)	69°F (21°C)	—	12	2.4 in (61 mm)	73%	10.8

Flight time from the US

By distance, flying time to Sri Lanka is about 18 h 5 min from New York (JFK), 19 h 20 min from Los Angeles (LAX) and 18 h 40 min from San Francisco (SFO). Most trips from the US connect, so add at least 2 h for the layover. These are estimates, not schedules.

Flight time to Sri Lanka from US hubs →

Other months in Sri Lanka

Excellent Good Mixed Off-season

All months and temperature chart →

Sri Lanka in March: FAQ

What's the weather like in Sri Lanka in March?

On the west and south coast it is hot and showery, with highs of 87°F (30°C) and the sea at 85°F (30°C). On the east coast it is hot and mostly dry, with highs of 87°F (30°C) and the sea at 84°F (29°C). In the hill country it is hot and mostly dry, with highs of 87°F (31°C).

Is March a good time to visit Sri Lanka?

We rate March as Excellent. Yes — best on the east coast, with highs of 87°F (30°C) and about 2.1 in (54 mm) of rain for the month.

Is March rainy season in Sri Lanka?

Driest on the east coast, with about 2.1 in (54 mm) of rain and 11 rainy days. On the west and south coast: 5.0 in (127 mm).

How does Sri Lanka in March compare to April?

April rates Excellent, March rates Excellent. In the best region, March brings highs of 87°F (30°C) and 2.1 in (54 mm) of rain; April brings 91°F (33°C) and 2.0 in (51 mm).

Where the data comes from

Air temperature, rainfall, humidity — ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus / ECMWF) via Open-Meteo, averaged over 2015–2024. Each region uses one point: the resort or city in its caption.
Sea temperature — Open-Meteo Marine, average sea surface temperature for 2023–2026 (the source has no longer record yet).
Sunshine — sunshine duration from the same ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo), average hours of sun per day for the month, 2015–2024.
Rainy days — days with at least 1 mm (0.04 in) of rain. Reanalysis picks up light rain more often than weather stations, so treat this as an upper bound.
Month rating — one rule for every destination, based on three factors: day highs (ideal 75–91°F / 24–33°C), monthly rainfall (ideal under 80 mm / 3.1 in) and, for beach regions, sea temperature (ideal 77°F / 25°C or warmer). All ideal means Excellent; one slightly weaker factor means Good. Mixed means heavy rain (150 mm / 5.9 in or more), highs above 97°F (36°C) or a sea below 70°F (21°C). Off-season means highs of 100°F (38°C) or more, cold below 54°F (12°C), over 350 mm (13.8 in) of rain, or several problems at once. A country's rating follows its best region, so check the regional table.

Checked September 29, 2026. Climate normals are refreshed yearly and the notes every 90 days. These are long-term averages, not a forecast: any given year can differ.