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Kandy, Sri Lanka climate
Am Tropical monsoon
Kandy has a remarkably steady tropical climate (Tropical monsoon, Köppen Am). The hottest month is May with an average daily high near 33°C, while the coldest is January averaging around 21°C at night. Precipitation totals about 2105 mm a year and is strongly seasonal — October alone averages 313 mm while January barely receives 47 mm.
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)Kandy climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 30 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 25 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Avg low (°C) | 21 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 47 | 52 | 141 | 311 | 265 | 115 | 66 | 90 | 148 | 313 | 298 | 259 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 30 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 31 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 25 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Avg low (°C) | 21 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 25 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 47 | 52 | 141 | 311 | 265 | 115 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
| Avg temp (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Avg low (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 66 | 90 | 148 | 313 | 298 | 259 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 5 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 12 |
| Days with high ≥ 32°C (days) | 12 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 7 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 5 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 12 | 14 |
| Days with high ≥ 32°C (days) | 12 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 11 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 10 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 12 |
| Days with high ≥ 32°C (days) | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 7 |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 63 | 55 | 53 | 66 | 73 | 81 | 82 | 80 | 75 | 77 | 76 | 72 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 85 | 80 | 73 | 76 | 81 | 83 | 81 | 80 | 80 | 83 | 88 | 88 |
| Wind speed (m/s) | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 63 | 55 | 53 | 66 | 73 | 81 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 85 | 80 | 73 | 76 | 81 | 83 |
| Wind speed (m/s) | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 4.3 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 82 | 80 | 75 | 77 | 76 | 72 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 81 | 80 | 80 | 83 | 88 | 88 |
| Wind speed (m/s) | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
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 10 years of daily observations at Kurunegala, a weather station, about 35 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.