West & south coast Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Galle
Best months: January to March. Rainiest: April to November. Highs range from 83°F (28°C) to 87°F (30°C), sea 82–88°F (28–31°C).
Best Time to Visit Sri Lanka
The best time to visit Sri Lanka: on the west and south coast, January to March; on the east coast, February to April, June to August. The wettest stretch on the west and south coast is May, October, November. It is hottest on the east coast in July, with highs of 94°F (34°C).
Climate normals checked September 29, 2026 · Source: Open-Meteo (ERA5) · How we calculate
Sri Lanka weather by month
Colour shows the month rating for the best region. Tap a month for details.
- 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 air and sea temperature by month
- West & south coast: air
- West & south coast: sea
- East coast: air
- East coast: sea
- Hill country: air
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West & south coast: air | 85 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 84 |
| West & south coast: sea | 83 | 83 | 85 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 84 |
| East coast: air | 82 | 83 | 87 | 91 | 92 | 94 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 88 | 84 | 83 |
| East coast: sea | 81 | 82 | 84 | 87 | 87 | 85 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 85 | 85 | 82 |
| Hill country: air | 82 | 84 | 87 | 87 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 80 | 80 |
When to visit each region of Sri Lanka
East coast Trincomalee, Pasikudah
Best months: February to April, June to August. Rainiest: October to December. Highs range from 82°F (28°C) to 94°F (34°C), sea 81–86°F (27–30°C).
Hill country Kandy, Nuwara Eliya
Rainiest: May, October to November. Highs range from 80°F (27°C) to 87°F (31°C).
Best time to visit Sri Lanka: FAQ
When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka?
The best time to visit Sri Lanka: on the west and south coast, January to March; on the east coast, February to April, June to August. The wettest stretch on the west and south coast is May, October, November. It is hottest on the east coast in July, with highs of 94°F (34°C).
What is Sri Lanka's rainy season?
Months with more than 200 mm (7.9 in) of rain: on the west and south coast, April to November; on the east coast, October to December. The wettest month on the west and south coast is May, with about 18.1 in (459 mm).
Is Sri Lanka hot all year?
Day highs on the west and south coast range from 83°F (28°C) to 87°F (30°C). The hottest month is July on the east coast, at 94°F (34°C).
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.
