Anuradhapura climate — normals and trends
Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka) has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 26.6 °C and it receives 1,161 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is April (28.1 °C on average) and the coldest is January (24.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Anuradhapura averages 0 frost days, 242 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 187 rainy days per year.
Anuradhapura has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.18 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.5 °C (on 30 April 1979) and the coldest 14.8 °C (on 11 February 2001).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
AnuradhapuraNorth Central Province
- coords
- 8.31°, 80.41°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
26.6°C
Average daily high
31.0°C
Average daily low
23.4°C
Annual rainfall
1,161mm
Sunshine / day
10.3h
Mean relative humidity
78%
Average peak wind
17.9km/h
Seasonal range
3.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
242 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
187 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
34.7 °C
Average feels-like low
26.7 °C
Average peak gust
40.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
347 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.8 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.62 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.5 °C
30 April 1979
Coldest day
14.8 °C
11 February 2001
Wettest day
174 mm
27 November 1963
Windiest day
37.8 km/h
7 October 1952
Strongest gust
89.6 km/h
23 July 1989
Hottest feels-like
44.9 °C
26 April 2016
Coldest feels-like
15.6 °C
5 January 1945
Sunniest day
12.4 h
1 June 1972
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
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Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.4 °C | +0.1 °C | 183 mm | +113 mm |
| Feb | 31.4 °C | +1.2 °C | 35 mm | -9 mm |
| Mar | 32.7 °C | -0.1 °C | 76 mm | +18 mm |
| Apr | 33.0 °C | -0.3 °C | 155 mm | +43 mm |
| May | 32.4 °C | +0.2 °C | 61 mm | -28 mm |
| Jun | 32.4 °C | +1.0 °C | 31 mm | -14 mm |
| Jul | 33.6 °C | +1.9 °C | 26 mm | -27 mm |
| Aug | 33.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 34 mm | -23 mm |
| Sep | 33.6 °C | +1.7 °C | 69 mm | -7 mm |
| Oct | 31.7 °C | +0.8 °C | 264 mm | +74 mm |
| Nov | 29.3 °C | 0.0 °C | 579 mm | +360 mm |
| Dec | 28.7 °C | +0.5 °C | 114 mm | -33 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Anuradhapura?
Anuradhapura has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 26.6 °C and it receives 1,161 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Anuradhapura?
The hottest day measured in Anuradhapura between 1940 and 2025 was 30 April 1979, reaching 39.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Anuradhapura?
The coldest day measured in Anuradhapura between 1940 and 2025 was 11 February 2001, at 14.8 °C.
Does it snow in Anuradhapura?
Almost never: Anuradhapura sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Anuradhapura warmed?
Yes: Anuradhapura warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Anuradhapura?
The wettest day measured in Anuradhapura between 1940 and 2025 was 27 November 1963, with 174 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Anuradhapura?
The windiest day measured in Anuradhapura between 1940 and 2025 was 7 October 1952, with winds reaching 37.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Anuradhapura?
The warmest month in Anuradhapura is April (28.1 °C on average); the coldest is January (24.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Anuradhapura?
Anuradhapura receives on average 1,161 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 187 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Anuradhapura?
Anuradhapura gets on average 10.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,760 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Anuradhapura?
Yes: Anuradhapura has on average 347 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Anuradhapura?
In Anuradhapura, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.9 °C on 26 April 2016, and the lowest was 15.6 °C on 5 January 1945.
Compare Anuradhapura with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Anuradhapura