Dambulla climate — normals and trends
Dambulla (Sri Lanka) has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 25.3 °C and it receives 1,491 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 May (26.9 °C on average) and the coldest is January (22.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Dambulla averages 0 frost days, 177 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 216 rainy days per year.
Dambulla has warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.17 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.2 °C (on 29 March 1953) and the coldest 12.5 °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
DambullaCentral Province
- coords
- 7.86°, 80.65°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
25.3°C
Average daily high
29.7°C
Average daily low
22.1°C
Annual rainfall
1,491mm
Sunshine / day
10.2h
Mean relative humidity
79%
Average peak wind
17.4km/h
Seasonal range
4.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
177 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
216 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
33.1 °C
Average feels-like low
24.8 °C
Average peak gust
43.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
324 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.4 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.57 · 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
39.2 °C
29 March 1953
Coldest day
12.5 °C
11 February 2001
Wettest day
254 mm
18 October 2023
Windiest day
36.9 km/h
12 May 1956
Strongest gust
95.8 km/h
23 July 1989
Hottest feels-like
43.1 °C
26 April 2016
Coldest feels-like
12.9 °C
11 February 2001
Sunniest day
12.4 h
25 May 2023
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 | 26.7 °C | -0.1 °C | 355 mm | +234 mm |
| Feb | 29.9 °C | +1.5 °C | 63 mm | -10 mm |
| Mar | 31.1 °C | +0.1 °C | 102 mm | +16 mm |
| Apr | 32.0 °C | 0.0 °C | 261 mm | +115 mm |
| May | 31.3 °C | +0.1 °C | 75 mm | -32 mm |
| Jun | 31.1 °C | +0.8 °C | 52 mm | +4 mm |
| Jul | 31.5 °C | +1.1 °C | 49 mm | -14 mm |
| Aug | 32.0 °C | +1.4 °C | 32 mm | -32 mm |
| Sep | 32.1 °C | +1.2 °C | 83 mm | -3 mm |
| Oct | 31.2 °C | +1.2 °C | 247 mm | +24 mm |
| Nov | 28.3 °C | 0.0 °C | 638 mm | +373 mm |
| Dec | 27.5 °C | +0.6 °C | 176 mm | -34 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 Dambulla?
Dambulla has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 25.3 °C and it receives 1,491 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Dambulla?
The hottest day measured in Dambulla between 1940 and 2025 was 29 March 1953, reaching 39.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Dambulla?
The coldest day measured in Dambulla between 1940 and 2025 was 11 February 2001, at 12.5 °C.
Does it snow in Dambulla?
Almost never: Dambulla sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Dambulla warmed?
Yes: Dambulla warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Dambulla?
The wettest day measured in Dambulla between 1940 and 2025 was 18 October 2023, with 254 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Dambulla?
The windiest day measured in Dambulla between 1940 and 2025 was 12 May 1956, with winds reaching 36.9 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Dambulla?
The warmest month in Dambulla is May (26.9 °C on average); the coldest is January (22.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Dambulla?
Dambulla receives on average 1,491 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 216 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Dambulla?
Dambulla gets on average 10.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,723 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Dambulla?
Yes: Dambulla has on average 324 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Dambulla?
In Dambulla, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.1 °C on 26 April 2016, and the lowest was 12.9 °C on 11 February 2001.
Compare Dambulla with another city
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Nearby cities
The climate around Dambulla