Matale climate — normals and trends
Matale (Sri Lanka) has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 25.0 °C and it receives 1,706 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 March (26.2 °C on average) and the coldest is January (23.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Matale averages 0 frost days, 110 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 241 rainy days per year.
Matale has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.19 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.4 °C (on 26 March 1976) and the coldest 13.5 °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
MataleCentral Province
- coords
- 7.47°, 80.62°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
25.0°C
Average daily high
29.1°C
Average daily low
22.0°C
Annual rainfall
1,706mm
Sunshine / day
10.1h
Mean relative humidity
81%
Average peak wind
14.9km/h
Seasonal range
2.3°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
110 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
241 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
33.0 °C
Average feels-like low
25.0 °C
Average peak gust
38.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
337 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.67 · 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
37.4 °C
26 March 1976
Coldest day
13.5 °C
11 February 2001
Wettest day
247 mm
18 October 2023
Windiest day
31.8 km/h
24 November 1978
Strongest gust
80.6 km/h
23 July 1989
Hottest feels-like
42.9 °C
30 April 2024
Coldest feels-like
13.3 °C
25 January 2006
Sunniest day
12.4 h
6 June 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 | 27.7 °C | -0.4 °C | 251 mm | +171 mm |
| Feb | 31.4 °C | +1.3 °C | 28 mm | -28 mm |
| Mar | 31.9 °C | -0.1 °C | 112 mm | +13 mm |
| Apr | 31.2 °C | -0.1 °C | 190 mm | +11 mm |
| May | 30.3 °C | +0.6 °C | 133 mm | +5 mm |
| Jun | 29.4 °C | +1.0 °C | 93 mm | -12 mm |
| Jul | 29.5 °C | +1.2 °C | 122 mm | +13 mm |
| Aug | 29.6 °C | +1.3 °C | 56 mm | -47 mm |
| Sep | 29.8 °C | +1.1 °C | 87 mm | -22 mm |
| Oct | 29.6 °C | +1.0 °C | 546 mm | +265 mm |
| Nov | 28.1 °C | -0.2 °C | 795 mm | +502 mm |
| Dec | 28.5 °C | +0.8 °C | 105 mm | -61 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 Matale?
Matale has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 25.0 °C and it receives 1,706 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Matale?
The hottest day measured in Matale between 1940 and 2025 was 26 March 1976, reaching 37.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Matale?
The coldest day measured in Matale between 1940 and 2025 was 11 February 2001, at 13.5 °C.
Does it snow in Matale?
Almost never: Matale sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Matale warmed?
Yes: Matale warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Matale?
The wettest day measured in Matale between 1940 and 2025 was 18 October 2023, with 247 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Matale?
The windiest day measured in Matale between 1940 and 2025 was 24 November 1978, with winds reaching 31.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Matale?
The warmest month in Matale is March (26.2 °C on average); the coldest is January (23.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Matale?
Matale receives on average 1,706 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 241 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Matale?
Matale gets on average 10.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,687 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Matale?
Yes: Matale has on average 337 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Matale?
In Matale, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.9 °C on 30 April 2024, and the lowest was 13.3 °C on 25 January 2006.
Compare Matale with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Matale