Sri Lanka Weather in May
On the west and south coast it is warm and very wet, with highs of 85°F (29°C) and the sea at 86°F (30°C). On the east coast it is hot and showery, with highs of 92°F (34°C) and the sea at 87°F (30°C). In the hill country it is warm and rainy, with highs of 83°F (28°C). Rating: Mixed — even on the east coast rain is frequent and days are very hot.
Mixedrain is frequent, days are very hot
Climate normals checked September 29, 2026 · Source: Open-Meteo (ERA5) · How we calculate
Sri Lanka weather in May by region
| Region | Day high | Night low | Sea | Rainy days | Rainfall | Humidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West & south coastBentota, Hikkaduwa, Galle | 85°F (29°C) | 78°F (25°C) | 86°F (30°C) | 30 | 18.1 in (459 mm) | 87% |
| East coastTrincomalee, Pasikudah | 92°F (34°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 87°F (30°C) | 15 | 4.4 in (113 mm) | 75% |
| Hill countryKandy, Nuwara Eliya | 83°F (28°C) | 72°F (22°C) | — | 24 | 8.6 in (218 mm) | 84% |
What to know in May
Vesak is celebrated on the May full moon. On this and other full-moon (Poya) days, alcohol sales are banned.
Checked September 29, 2026.
Flight time from the US
We're still checking flight times from JFK, LAX and SFO to Sri Lanka. This block will show them once our flight data is ready.
Other months in Sri Lanka
- Jan85°FJanuary: Good
- Feb86°FFebruary: Good
- Mar87°FMarch: Excellent
- Apr91°FApril: Excellent
- May92°FMay: Mixed
- Jun94°FJune: Good
- Jul94°FJuly: Good
- Aug93°FAugust: Good
- Sep92°FSeptember: Mixed
- Oct88°FOctober: Mixed
- Nov84°FNovember: Off-season
- Dec84°FDecember: Mixed
Excellent Good Mixed Off-season
Sri Lanka in May: FAQ
What's the weather like in Sri Lanka in May?
On the west and south coast it is warm and very wet, with highs of 85°F (29°C) and the sea at 86°F (30°C). On the east coast it is hot and showery, with highs of 92°F (34°C) and the sea at 87°F (30°C). In the hill country it is warm and rainy, with highs of 83°F (28°C).
Is May a good time to visit Sri Lanka?
We rate May as Mixed. It can work, with caveats: even on the east coast rain is frequent and days are very hot.
Is May rainy season in Sri Lanka?
Driest on the east coast, with about 4.4 in (113 mm) of rain and 15 rainy days. On the west and south coast: 18.1 in (459 mm).
How does Sri Lanka in May compare to June?
June rates Good, May rates Mixed. In the best region, May brings highs of 92°F (34°C) and 4.4 in (113 mm) of rain; June brings 94°F (34°C) and 1.4 in (35 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).
- 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.
