Weather

Sri Lanka’s weather is tropical and climatically the island is divided into two zones: The dry zone that spreads over the Northern plains, North central plains, Eastern plains and the Northern and Eastern coastal belts. The Wet Zone that encompasses the South Western region and the single mountain mass of the island that is aptly called the Central Highlands.

Sri Lanka’s weather patterns are generally well-defined. However the dramatic global climatic changes do make an impact on Sri Lanka too. So there are times that it can rain unexpectedly or you might experience a heat wave.

The Ideal Time to Visit Sri Lanka

November to March

The principal tourist season in Sri Lanka is during November to March when it is the dry season for the South Western and Southern coastal areas and the Central Highlands. November through to March are also the months when most foreign tourists visit the island, the majority of them escaping the European winter. During Christmas up to the New Year which is one of the main holiday seasons, accommodation rates in most tourist hotels hit the highest levels all over the island in view of the sharp upsurge of inward traffic of tourists into the island. Advance bookings of hotel rooms during this period are highly recommended.

April to September

The secondary tourist season that spans from September are the ideal months to tour the ancient cities of the North Central Plains and the Eastern Coast.

July to August

July / August is the time of the Kandy Esala Perahera, the 10-day festival held in homage to the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha, and also the time of the Kataragama Festival in the South. In both towns, accommodation just before, during and immediately after the festivals is very difficult to come by. Rates could shoot up to double or still higher. The tourists who wish to arrive in Sri Lanka during this period are advised to make bookings of hotel rooms well in advance.

Weather Highlights of Sri Lanka

  • Colombo, Sri Lanka latitude and longitude; 6°54’N 79°52’E.
  • Altitude; 7 m (23 ft).
  • The average temperature in Sri Lanka is 27.0 °C (81 °F).
  • The range of average monthly temperatures is 2 °C.
  • The warmest average max/ high temperature is 31 °C (88 °F) in February, March, April & May.
  • The coolest average min/ low temperature is 22 °C (72 °F) in January & February.
  • Sri Lanka receives on average 2397 mm (94.4 in) of precipitation annually or 200 mm (7.9 in) each month.
  • On balance there are 188 days annually on which greater than 0.1 mm (0.004 in) of precipitation (rain, sleet, snow or hail) occurs or 16 days on an average month. The month with the driest weather is January when on balance 88 mm (3.5 in) of rain, sleet, hail or snow falls across 8 days.
  • The month with the wettest weather is October when on balance 354 mm (13.9 in) of rain, sleet, hail or snow falls across 21 days.
  • Mean relative humidity for an average year is recorded as 79.8% and on a monthly basis it ranges from 75% in Januaryto 83% in October.
  • On balance there are 0 days annually registering frost in Sri Lanka and in January there are on average 0 days with frost…

About Colombo District

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, the capital city of Sri Lanka. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins and a city population of 647,100.The Colombo Metropolitan Region, defined by the districts of Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara, has an estimated population of 5,648,000, and covers an area of 3,694.20 km²

Colombo is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. It is the most populous city in Sri Lanka, with 642,163 people living within the city limits. The population of Colombo is a mix of numerous ethnic groups, mainly Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils. There are also small communities of people with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian origins living in the city, as well as numerous European expatriates.

The great majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices in Colombo. Some of the industries include chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture, and jewellery. In the city center is located South Asia's second tallest building - The World Trade Centre.

About Western Province

The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center. Western Province is divided into 3 main districts called Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1,386.6 km²) and Kalutara (1,606 km²) districts. As Sri Lanka's economic hub, all the major local and international corporations have their presence in the city and so do all the major designer and high street retailers, so be ready to indulge in some retail therapy in western province.

Having the highest population in the all the provinces, the almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in western province. Universities in the province include the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and University of Moratuwa .Western province has the largest amount of schools in the country, which includes National, Provincial, Private and International schools.