Bentota climate — normals and trends
Bentota (Sri Lanka) has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 26.3 °C and it receives 2,827 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 (27.2 °C on average) and the coldest is December (25.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in May.
Bentota averages 0 frost days, 21 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 282 rainy days per year.
Bentota has warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.15 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 32.9 °C (on 29 March 2016) and the coldest 19.7 °C (on 25 January 1942).
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
BentotaSouthern Province
- coords
- 6.43°, 80.00°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
26.3°C
Average daily high
28.3°C
Average daily low
24.7°C
Annual rainfall
2,827mm
Sunshine / day
9.9h
Mean relative humidity
84%
Average peak wind
16.7km/h
Seasonal range
1.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
21 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
282 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
33.4 °C
Average feels-like low
28.6 °C
Average peak gust
29.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
365 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.3 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.73 · 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
32.9 °C
29 March 2016
Coldest day
19.7 °C
25 January 1942
Wettest day
190 mm
15 May 2016
Windiest day
46.2 km/h
29 November 2017
Strongest gust
75.2 km/h
30 November 2017
Hottest feels-like
40.3 °C
28 April 2024
Coldest feels-like
19.3 °C
13 January 2011
Sunniest day
12.2 h
11 May 1945
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.2 °C | -0.1 °C | 260 mm | +174 mm |
| Feb | 29.8 °C | +1.0 °C | 39 mm | -25 mm |
| Mar | 29.9 °C | +0.6 °C | 133 mm | +37 mm |
| Apr | 29.7 °C | +0.3 °C | 220 mm | +42 mm |
| May | 29.6 °C | +0.9 °C | 252 mm | -110 mm |
| Jun | 28.9 °C | +0.9 °C | 284 mm | -71 mm |
| Jul | 28.6 °C | +1.0 °C | 238 mm | -61 mm |
| Aug | 28.2 °C | +0.7 °C | 152 mm | -134 mm |
| Sep | 28.7 °C | +1.1 °C | 219 mm | -78 mm |
| Oct | 28.8 °C | +1.1 °C | 306 mm | -21 mm |
| Nov | 28.2 °C | +0.2 °C | 489 mm | +196 mm |
| Dec | 28.8 °C | +0.7 °C | 106 mm | -78 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 Bentota?
Bentota has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 26.3 °C and it receives 2,827 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Bentota?
The hottest day measured in Bentota between 1940 and 2025 was 29 March 2016, reaching 32.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Bentota?
The coldest day measured in Bentota between 1940 and 2025 was 25 January 1942, at 19.7 °C.
Does it snow in Bentota?
Almost never: Bentota sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Bentota warmed?
Yes: Bentota warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Bentota?
The wettest day measured in Bentota between 1940 and 2025 was 15 May 2016, with 190 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Bentota?
The windiest day measured in Bentota between 1940 and 2025 was 29 November 2017, with winds reaching 46.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Bentota?
The warmest month in Bentota is April (27.2 °C on average); the coldest is December (25.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Bentota?
Bentota receives on average 2,827 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 282 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Bentota?
Bentota gets on average 9.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,614 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Bentota?
Yes: Bentota has on average 365 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Bentota?
In Bentota, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 40.3 °C on 28 April 2024, and the lowest was 19.3 °C on 13 January 2011.
Compare Bentota with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Bentota