In winter, the best weather in Sri Lanka is on the west and south coasts: Negombo, Colombo, Galle and the beaches running east to Tangalle. The Cultural Triangle around Anuradhapura is good too. All of them dry out through December and are at their driest in January and February. The east coast runs on the opposite clock. Trincomalee gets 339 mm of rain in December and Pottuvil, next to Arugam Bay, still gets 263 mm in January, so the east is a summer destination. November is the one month to be careful with. Every station below averages more than 200 mm of rain in it.
Below, you'll find 11 places compared on official climate averages, rain month by month, the hill country, the east coast, and how to pick your dates.
Sri Lanka in Winter: the Table
These figures are the World Meteorological Organization's 1991-2020 climate normals, the official averages for Sri Lanka's Department of Meteorology stations, as archived by the US National Centers for Environmental Information (WMO climate normals). There is one station per place. Three popular spots have no sheet of their own, so the nearest station stands in: Bandarawela (about 10 km from Ella), Pottuvil (just north of Arugam Bay) and Hambantota (the nearest station to Tangalle and Yala). Katunayake is the airport station next to Negombo, and Katugastota sits just north of Kandy. "Day high" and "night low" are the average daily maximum and minimum from November to March, rain is the average total for those five months, and a rain day is a day with 1 mm or more. Sorted driest first.
| Place | Area | Day high | Night low | Rain, Nov to Mar | Rain days, Nov to Mar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hambantota (for Tangalle and Yala) | Southeast coast | 31.1°C | 23.8°C | 517 mm | 36 |
| Negombo (Katunayake airport) | West coast | 31.9°C | 23.0°C | 650 mm | 39 |
| Nuwara Eliya | Hill country, 1,894 m | 20.5°C | 11.0°C | 670 mm | 56 |
| Galle | South coast | 30.4°C | 23.9°C | 706 mm | 45 |
| Anuradhapura | Cultural Triangle | 31.6°C | 22.7°C | 714 mm | 45 |
| Kandy (Katugastota) | Hill country, 477 m | 29.5°C | 19.5°C | 751 mm | 50 |
| Colombo | West coast | 31.3°C | 23.8°C | 776 mm | 43 |
| Jaffna | North | 30.3°C | 22.7°C | 824 mm | 39 |
| Bandarawela (for Ella) | Hill country, 1,226 m | 24.0°C | 15.5°C | 956 mm | 80 |
| Trincomalee | East coast | 29.9°C | 24.2°C | 1018 mm | 50 |
| Pottuvil (for Arugam Bay) | East coast | 30.7°C | 22.8°C | 1075 mm | 51 |
Hambantota, on the dry southeast corner, is the driest place in the table over the five months, with 517 mm on 36 rain days. Pottuvil is the wettest at 1,075 mm. On the coast and in the lowlands the heat barely changes from place to place, with winter days averaging 29.9 to 31.9°C, so the place you pick decides how much rain you get, not how warm it is.
Save your Sri Lanka shortlist to a map in Dream Trip and see your beach, tea country and temple saves side by side before you fix a route.
Rain Month by Month
| Place | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hambantota (for Tangalle and Yala) | 222 mm | 132 mm | 68 mm | 47 mm | 47 mm |
| Negombo (Katunayake airport) | 305 mm | 131 mm | 54 mm | 56 mm | 105 mm |
| Nuwara Eliya | 226 mm | 183 mm | 116 mm | 73 mm | 72 mm |
| Galle | 283 mm | 176 mm | 87 mm | 71 mm | 90 mm |
| Anuradhapura | 281 mm | 225 mm | 86 mm | 60 mm | 62 mm |
| Kandy (Katugastota) | 269 mm | 204 mm | 103 mm | 78 mm | 98 mm |
| Colombo | 346 mm | 171 mm | 80 mm | 77 mm | 103 mm |
| Jaffna | 437 mm | 274 mm | 44 mm | 26 mm | 42 mm |
| Bandarawela (for Ella) | 338 mm | 231 mm | 153 mm | 96 mm | 138 mm |
| Trincomalee | 376 mm | 339 mm | 152 mm | 96 mm | 55 mm |
| Pottuvil (for Arugam Bay) | 308 mm | 306 mm | 263 mm | 137 mm | 61 mm |
November: wet everywhere. This is the second inter-monsoon, and the Department of Meteorology describes it as the season with the most evenly spread rain across the island, with afternoon and evening thunderstorms and Bay of Bengal depressions that can bring strong winds, floods and landslides (Climate of Sri Lanka). The driest station is still Hambantota, at 222 mm, and Jaffna gets 437 mm.
December: the turn of the season on the west and south coasts. Negombo (131 mm), Hambantota (132 mm), Colombo (171 mm) and Galle (176 mm) are already much drier than in November, with 9 to 11 rain days. The east coast is at its wettest, with 306 mm in Pottuvil and 339 mm in Trincomalee.
January: the classic month for the southwest. Negombo gets 54 mm on about 4 rain days, Colombo 80 mm and Galle 87 mm. Jaffna is the driest station of all (44 mm). Pottuvil still gets 263 mm.
February: the driest month of the winter at most stations. Jaffna drops to 26 mm, Hambantota to 47 mm and Galle to 71 mm. Trincomalee is down to 96 mm and starting to improve.
March: the east coast opens up. Trincomalee (55 mm) and Pottuvil (61 mm) are drier than Colombo (103 mm) and Negombo (105 mm), where the showers are starting to come back.
For a closer look at the south coast in one month, with the sea temperature, see our Sri Lanka weather pages for December, January and February. Those pages use a model average for the coast near Galle, which can differ from these station normals, especially for rain.
Temperatures Through the Winter
Day high / night low at five stations:
| Month | Colombo | Galle | Kandy | Nuwara Eliya | Trincomalee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 30.6°C / 23.9°C | 29.9°C / 24.2°C | 28.8°C / 20.5°C | 19.8°C / 12.3°C | 29.8°C / 24.0°C |
| December | 30.9°C / 23.5°C | 29.9°C / 23.7°C | 28.0°C / 19.8°C | 19.4°C / 11.5°C | 28.8°C / 23.8°C |
| January | 31.4°C / 23.1°C | 29.9°C / 23.4°C | 28.6°C / 18.8°C | 19.9°C / 10.4°C | 28.9°C / 24.0°C |
| February | 31.6°C / 23.6°C | 30.7°C / 23.7°C | 30.2°C / 18.7°C | 21.0°C / 10.2°C | 30.1°C / 24.3°C |
| March | 32.0°C / 24.8°C | 31.6°C / 24.6°C | 32.0°C / 19.9°C | 22.3°C / 10.8°C | 31.7°C / 24.8°C |
The coast hardly cools at all. Colombo's January days (31.4°C) are a touch warmer than July's (30.3°C). What changes is the rain. Inland, the drop with height is big. Kandy, at 477 m, has nights around 19°C, and Nuwara Eliya, at 1,894 m, averages 19.9°C by day and 10.4°C at night in January.
The Hill Country: Kandy, Ella and Nuwara Eliya
The tea country is where you need a jumper. The Department of Meteorology notes that the northeast monsoon brings comparatively cool, dry weather to many parts of the island, apart from some rather cold early mornings, and that frost can occur in Nuwara Eliya on several days in winter. The Department of Census and Statistics puts the ground frost in January and February (Statistical Abstract, chapter 1). February has Nuwara Eliya's coolest nights of the year, at 10.2°C on average.
Ella is the one to time carefully. Bandarawela, the station nearest to it, is the wettest hill station in the table, with 80 rain days from November to March: 231 mm in December, 153 mm in January and 96 mm in February. The Met Department says the northeast monsoon rain is heaviest on the eastern slopes of the hill country, which is the side Ella sits on. February is its best winter month. Kandy is easier, with 103 mm in January and 78 mm in February.
If you are taking the train up through the hills, go in late January or February, and pack a warm layer for Nuwara Eliya and the early starts.
The East Coast: Trincomalee and Arugam Bay in Winter
Most of the year's rain on the east coast falls in winter. Trincomalee gets 63% of its yearly rain from November to March, and Pottuvil gets 75%. Trincomalee only gets properly dry in March (55 mm), and Pottuvil, the station for Arugam Bay, is not dry until March either (61 mm, after 263 mm in January).
Summer is the other way round. Pottuvil averages 14 mm of rain in June, 17 mm in July and 19 mm in August, and Trincomalee 26 mm in June. If Arugam Bay or Trincomalee is the point of your trip, go between May and September and leave the southwest for winter.
Which Part of Sri Lanka Is Best in December?
The west and south coasts, and the earlier in the month the more rain you should expect. Negombo and Hambantota are the driest stations in December, at 131 mm and 132 mm, with Colombo and Galle close behind. Days average 30 to 31°C along that coast and nights stay around 23 to 24°C. Treat December as shoulder season and keep a day spare in the plan for rain. If you want to compare other warm places for those dates, our Christmas sun holidays guide runs from the Canaries and Egypt to Goa and Phuket on December averages.
How to Choose
- Late November to mid December: start in Colombo and the west coast, and keep the itinerary flexible. Our 3 days in Colombo itinerary has indoor backups for wet afternoons.
- Christmas and New Year: Galle and the south coast, Negombo, or the southeast around Tangalle. Skip the east coast.
- January and February: the best of the winter for a classic loop of beaches, Kandy, the tea country and the ancient cities. February is the driest month at most stations.
- March: the whole island lines up. The east coast is drying out while the southwest is still good, but it is hotter, with Anuradhapura averaging 34.8°C by day.
- Coolest nights: Nuwara Eliya, around 10 to 11°C from January to March.
- Driest overall: Hambantota, with 517 mm from November to March.
Sri Lanka is a long-haul trip from the UK. SriLankan Airlines flies non-stop from Heathrow to Colombo, scheduled at about 10 hours 25 minutes, and Sri Lanka is five and a half hours ahead of the UK in winter. If you are weighing it against Southeast Asia, our guide to the best weather in Thailand in winter runs the same comparison for Thailand's two coasts.
Before you book: the UK government's travel advice for Sri Lanka, last updated in September 2026, warns about heavy rain, flooding and landslides in the inter-monsoon season, and it also flags flight disruption on routes through Middle Eastern hubs. Read the FCDO travel advice for Sri Lanka and check your travel insurance.
Plan It in Dream Trip
A Sri Lanka trip usually starts as a pile of saves: a Galle Fort cafe, the Nine Arches Bridge, a surf spot in Weligama, a safari lodge near Yala. Dream Trip puts them on one map.
- Keep your saves in one place: Subscribers can import TikTok and Reels links.
- See the route: check whether your places sit on the southwest coast, in the hills or out east before you decide which way round to go.
- Share the trip: send it to whoever you are going with.
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FAQ
Is December a good time to visit Sri Lanka?
For the west and south coasts, yes, though it is the start of the dry season rather than the middle of it. Colombo averages 30.9°C by day and 23.5°C at night in December, with 171 mm of rain on about 9 days. The east coast is at its wettest, so leave Trincomalee and Arugam Bay out.
What is the weather like in Sri Lanka in January?
Hot and mostly dry in the southwest and the north. Negombo gets 54 mm of rain, Colombo 80 mm and Galle 87 mm, with days around 30 to 32°C. The hill country is cool at night, at 10.4°C in Nuwara Eliya, and Arugam Bay is still wet.
Which side of Sri Lanka is best in winter?
The west and south. From December to March the dry weather is on the southwest coast, while the northeast monsoon brings its heaviest rain to the east and the eastern hill slopes. In summer it flips, and the east coast is the better choice.
Is it rainy in Sri Lanka in November?
Yes, everywhere. November falls in the second inter-monsoon, the rainiest and most evenly spread season on the island. Every station in this guide averages more than 200 mm of rain in the month, from 222 mm in Hambantota to 437 mm in Jaffna.
Is Ella cold in winter?
Cool rather than cold. Bandarawela, the nearest station, averages about 23°C by day and 15°C at night in January. Nuwara Eliya, higher up, averages 10.4°C at night, so bring a warm layer for the hill country.
When is the best time to visit Arugam Bay?
May to September. Pottuvil, the station next to Arugam Bay, averages under 20 mm of rain a month from June to August. In winter it is wet until March, with 306 mm in December and 263 mm in January.
