Sri Lanka · 6.93°N 79.85°E · 30-year monthly averages, judged against the Tropical preset (highs 28–38 °C82–100 °F, any rain except monsoon)
The best time to visit Colombo is December to March and July to August, with highs of 30–32 °C86–90 °F and nights of 23–25 °C73–77 °F, and rainfall of 80–176 mm3.1–6.9 in a month.
The rainy season is March to July and September to December; April to June and September to November is a true monsoon, with 232–408 mm9.1–16 in a month and a peak in October (408 mm16 in). Afternoon highs change little through the year, 30–32 °C86–90 °F, and peak in March.
The figures are 30-year monthly averages (WorldClim 2.1 monthly normals 1970–2000) for the 0.25° grid cell at 6.93, 79.85. This is a climate guide, not a forecast.
Pick the weather you like. Every month is then judged against it: temperature above the month names, rain below.
Good time to go for a Tropical holiday: December to March and July to August.
Open Colombo on the interactive map ↗ the same verdicts for any place on Earth, in any month
Reading the chart. Gold means good: the month fits what you picked. Any other colour shows the reason it does not. The temperature bar can be too cold or too hot; the rain bar can be too dry, too rainy or monsoon. A faded gold bar means that half fits but the other half does not. A gold month name means both halves fit.
What the verdicts mean. Temperature is the month's average daily high (the afternoon), judged against the preset's band (highs 28–38 °C82–100 °F for Tropical). Rain is judged by each month's class within Colombo's own year, not by raw millimetres: dry under 60 mm2.4 in, showers 60–100 mm2.4–3.9 in, rainy from 100 mm3.9 in and at least 35 % of the wettest month. Too rainy is a rainy-season month that the preset does not allow. Monsoon is the heaviest kind of rainy season: 180 mm7.1 in or more (120 mm4.7 in near the yearly peak) in a climate where the wettest month has at least three times the rain of the driest. Every monsoon month is also a rainy-season month; the label says which kind. Full rules on the method page.
| Month | Rain | High | Low | Season | Tropical verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 803.1 | 3289 | 2373 | showers | good |
| February | 883.5 | 3289 | 2373 | showers | good |
| March | 1606.3 | 3290 | 2475 | rainy | good |
| April | 28811 | 3290 | 2576 | monsoon | monsoon |
| May | 39215 | 3289 | 2678 | monsoon | monsoon |
| June | 2489.8 | 3187 | 2577 | monsoon | monsoon |
| July | 1606.3 | 3086 | 2577 | rainy | good |
| August | 1365.4 | 3086 | 2577 | showers | good |
| September | 2329.1 | 3086 | 2576 | monsoon | monsoon |
| October | 40816 | 3187 | 2475 | monsoon | monsoon |
| November | 35214 | 3187 | 2373 | monsoon | monsoon |
| December | 1766.9 | 3187 | 2373 | rainy | good |
| Looking for | Rule | Months that fit |
|---|---|---|
| Warm | highs 19–28 °C66–82 °F, dry or showers | |
| Tropical | highs 28–38 °C82–100 °F, any rain except monsoon | December to March and July to August |
| Beach | highs 28–38 °C82–100 °F, dry or showers | January to February and August |
| Cool | highs 3–19 °C37–66 °F, any rain except monsoon | |
| Snow | highs below 3 °C37 °F, any rain |
Yes. The rainy season is March to July and September to December; April to June and September to November is a true monsoon, with 232–408 mm9.1–16 in a month and a peak in October (408 mm16 in). Outside the rainy season there is less rain, but it never stops completely.
Afternoon highs change little through the year, 30–32 °C86–90 °F, and peak in March. Annual rainfall is about 2,720 mm107 in.
The nearest destinations that fit the Tropical preset in the months when Colombo does not:
The interactive map colours the whole world by how well it fits the weather you like, in any month, and shows this chart for any place you tap.