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Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka climate
As Tropical savanna (dry summer)
Anuradhapura has a remarkably steady tropical climate (Tropical savanna (dry summer), Köppen As). The hottest month is May with an average daily high near 95°F, while the coldest is January averaging around 80°F at night. Precipitation totals about 64 inches a year and is strongly seasonal — December alone averages 15.7 inches while June barely receives 0.31 inches.
Temperature & precipitation
Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figuresHours of sunshine per day
Estimated sunny hours each month — daylight length × clear-sky fraction · 1991–2020 monthly cloud cover (NASA POWER)Anuradhapura climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 84 | 86 | 89 | 93 | 95 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 95 | 91 | 86 | 84 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 82 | 83 | 85 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 89 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 84 | 82 |
| Avg low (°F) | 80 | 80 | 82 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 81 |
| Precipitation (in) | 4.7 | 5.3 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 9.1 | 13.0 | 15.7 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 84 | 86 | 89 | 93 | 95 | 96 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 82 | 83 | 85 | 89 | 90 | 90 |
| Avg low (°F) | 80 | 80 | 82 | 84 | 84 | 84 |
| Precipitation (in) | 4.7 | 5.3 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 0.3 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 95 | 94 | 95 | 91 | 86 | 84 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 89 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 84 | 82 |
| Avg low (°F) | 83 | 83 | 83 | 82 | 82 | 81 |
| Precipitation (in) | 1.9 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 9.1 | 13.0 | 15.7 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0.8 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | 0.0 | 0.6 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 0.1 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0.8 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | 0.0 | 0.6 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 17 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | 17 | 17 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 0.1 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 60 | 51 | 43 | 55 | 60 | 69 | 72 | 70 | 67 | 71 | 74 | 71 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 79 | 77 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 74 | 73 | 74 | 78 | 82 | 82 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 9.7 | 8.7 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 14.2 | 14.0 | 13.2 | 11.5 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 9.8 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 60 | 51 | 43 | 55 | 60 | 69 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 79 | 77 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 76 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 9.7 | 8.7 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 14.2 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 72 | 70 | 67 | 71 | 74 | 71 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 74 | 73 | 74 | 78 | 82 | 82 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 14.0 | 13.2 | 11.5 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 9.8 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature — modelled for this location from ERA5-Land reanalysis, a ~9 km global grid, because no long-record weather station is close enough to use.
Precipitation — 1991–2020 normals computed from 11 years of daily observations at China Bay, a weather station, about 88 km from the city centre. The underlying daily records come from NOAA's global station network.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.