Nuwara Eliya climate — normals and trends

Q: What is the climate of Nuwara Eliya?

Nuwara Eliya has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 20.0 °C and it receives 2,406 mm of precipitation per year.

Q: What is the hottest day ever recorded in Nuwara Eliya?

The hottest day measured in Nuwara Eliya between 1940 and 2025 was 22 April 1983, reaching 32.1 °C.

Q: What is the coldest day in Nuwara Eliya?

The coldest day measured in Nuwara Eliya between 1940 and 2025 was 16 January 1974, at 10.4 °C.

Q: Does it snow in Nuwara Eliya?

Almost never: Nuwara Eliya sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.

Q: Has the climate of Nuwara Eliya warmed?

Yes: Nuwara Eliya warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.

Q: What is the wettest day in Nuwara Eliya?

The wettest day measured in Nuwara Eliya between 1940 and 2025 was 27 November 2025, with 169 mm of rain in 24 hours.

Q: What was the windiest day in Nuwara Eliya?

The windiest day measured in Nuwara Eliya between 1940 and 2025 was 3 November 1978, with winds reaching 26.3 km/h.

Q: What is the warmest month in Nuwara Eliya?

The warmest month in Nuwara Eliya is May (21.1 °C on average); the coldest is January (18.7 °C).

Q: How much does it rain in Nuwara Eliya?

Nuwara Eliya receives on average 2,406 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 273 rainy days.

Q: Is it sunny in Nuwara Eliya?

Nuwara Eliya gets on average 10.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,687 hours per year over 1940-2025.

Nuwara Eliya (Sri Lanka) has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 20.0 °C and it receives 2,406 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 (21.1 °C on average) and the coldest is January (18.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in October.

Nuwara Eliya averages 0 frost days, 1 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 273 rainy days per year.

Nuwara Eliya has warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.16 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.

The hottest day of the period reached 32.1 °C (on 22 April 1983) and the coldest 10.4 °C (on 16 January 1974).

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

Nuwara EliyaCentral Province

coords: 6.97°, 80.78°
period: 1940–2025 · 86 yrs

AfTropical rainforestWarmest monthMayColdest monthJanuaryWettest monthOctoberDriest monthFebruary

Mean daily temperature

20.0°C

Average daily high

23.8°C

Average daily low

17.3°C

Annual rainfall

2,406mm

Sunshine / day

10.1h

Mean relative humidity

85%

Average peak wind

10.1km/h

Seasonal range

2.4°C

Frost days (< 0 °C)

0 d/yr

Hot days (≥ 30 °C)

1 d/yr

Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)

273 d/yr

Annual snowfall

0.0 cm

Average feels-like high

26.6 °C

Average feels-like low

18.7 °C

Average peak gust

37.1 km/h

Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)

2 d/yr

Solar radiation

18.8 MJ/m²

Has the climate changed?

One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025

+1.4 °C

since 1940

+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.62 · p = < 0.001

19402025

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

32.1 °C

22 April 1983

Coldest day

10.4 °C

16 January 1974

Wettest day

169 mm

27 November 2025

Windiest day

26.3 km/h

3 November 1978

Strongest gust

101.5 km/h

13 June 1996

Hottest feels-like

34.5 °C

14 April 1983

Coldest feels-like

8.2 °C

7 February 1944

Sunniest day

12.4 h

30 May 1945

Year	Hottest day	Coldest day	Annual mean	Rainfall	Hot days
2025	27.8 °C3 October 2025	13.9 °C10 February 2025	20.7 °C	2,930 mm	0
2024	29.8 °C6 May 2024	12.7 °C25 January 2024	21.2 °C	2,689 mm	0
2023	27.6 °C16 May 2023	12.8 °C1 January 2023	20.7 °C	3,378 mm	0
2022	26.9 °C9 March 2022	12.3 °C21 January 2022	20.3 °C	2,766 mm	0
2021	28.0 °C5 April 2021	13.2 °C3 March 2021	20.4 °C	2,907 mm	0
2020	29.2 °C29 March 2020	13.1 °C15 January 2020	20.8 °C	2,155 mm	0
2019	27.8 °C30 March 2019	13.1 °C19 January 2019	20.6 °C	2,314 mm	0
2018	27.1 °C30 April 2018	11.8 °C8 January 2018	20.2 °C	2,864 mm	0
2017	27.9 °C18 April 2017	11.6 °C9 January 2017	20.5 °C	2,328 mm	0
2016	29.9 °C23 March 2016	13.4 °C24 December 2016	21.0 °C	1,879 mm	0
2015	27.6 °C23 March 2015	11.3 °C18 February 2015	20.6 °C	2,937 mm	0
2014	29.0 °C3 April 2014	12.0 °C11 February 2014	20.4 °C	2,887 mm	0
2013	26.7 °C9 April 2013	12.4 °C17 January 2013	20.2 °C	2,573 mm	0
2012	27.9 °C24 March 2012	13.0 °C22 February 2012	20.4 °C	2,504 mm	0
2011	27.4 °C2 April 2011	12.8 °C28 December 2011	20.4 °C	2,948 mm	0
2010	29.2 °C22 March 2010	13.2 °C6 January 2010	20.5 °C	3,103 mm	0
2009	28.1 °C1 March 2009	11.9 °C2 January 2009	20.5 °C	2,265 mm	0
2008	26.8 °C30 September 2008	10.8 °C25 February 2008	20.3 °C	2,693 mm	0
2007	28.7 °C25 March 2007	11.7 °C23 January 2007	20.3 °C	2,409 mm	0
2006	27.2 °C7 August 2006	11.1 °C22 January 2006	20.3 °C	2,643 mm	0
2005	28.2 °C21 May 2005	12.4 °C16 February 2005	20.5 °C	2,216 mm	0
2004	27.7 °C7 March 2004	11.4 °C21 February 2004	20.4 °C	2,291 mm	0
2003	26.9 °C5 April 2003	13.5 °C2 January 2003	20.3 °C	2,212 mm	0
2002	27.1 °C26 March 2002	12.5 °C18 January 2002	20.2 °C	2,461 mm	0
2001	29.4 °C2 April 2001	10.6 °C12 February 2001	20.2 °C	2,168 mm	0
2000	26.4 °C14 April 2000	12.4 °C13 February 2000	19.8 °C	2,350 mm	0
1999	27.4 °C27 March 1999	12.0 °C30 January 1999	19.8 °C	2,310 mm	0
1998	30.7 °C25 April 1998	14.4 °C21 November 1998	20.9 °C	2,130 mm	5
1997	29.3 °C20 March 1997	11.9 °C28 January 1997	20.3 °C	2,681 mm	0
1996	29.1 °C28 March 1996	12.8 °C24 January 1996	20.0 °C	2,547 mm	0
1995	29.2 °C2 April 1995	11.7 °C13 February 1995	20.3 °C	2,261 mm	0
1994	27.5 °C26 March 1994	12.3 °C27 January 1994	20.1 °C	2,713 mm	0
1993	28.1 °C21 April 1993	11.1 °C9 February 1993	20.1 °C	2,605 mm	0
1992	30.9 °C6 April 1992	12.0 °C28 December 1992	20.0 °C	2,121 mm	5
1991	28.8 °C21 March 1991	11.4 °C18 February 1991	20.3 °C	2,051 mm	0
1990	28.7 °C28 April 1990	11.0 °C22 January 1990	20.2 °C	2,353 mm	0
1989	29.3 °C14 April 1989	10.6 °C12 February 1989	19.9 °C	2,247 mm	0
1988	28.0 °C1 April 1988	12.2 °C29 November 1988	20.2 °C	2,258 mm	0
1987	29.3 °C15 April 1987	13.2 °C4 February 1987	20.5 °C	2,323 mm	0
1986	26.9 °C11 April 1986	13.7 °C24 February 1986	20.2 °C	2,027 mm	0
1985	27.8 °C6 May 1985	13.4 °C22 February 1985	20.0 °C	2,406 mm	0
1984	26.9 °C3 May 1984	13.7 °C16 March 1984	19.8 °C	2,750 mm	0
1983	32.1 °C22 April 1983	11.4 °C4 January 1983	20.9 °C	1,712 mm	20
1982	30.3 °C27 April 1982	12.1 °C20 January 1982	20.4 °C	1,955 mm	2
1981	28.3 °C22 March 1981	11.9 °C11 January 1981	20.2 °C	1,892 mm	0
1980	29.1 °C27 March 1980	12.8 °C26 February 1980	20.4 °C	1,761 mm	0
1979	30.9 °C6 April 1979	13.2 °C16 February 1979	20.6 °C	2,347 mm	7
1978	27.7 °C22 March 1978	13.0 °C18 January 1978	19.9 °C	2,638 mm	0
1977	29.4 °C15 April 1977	12.0 °C18 January 1977	20.0 °C	2,356 mm	0
1976	31.1 °C21 March 1976	11.6 °C3 March 1976	20.0 °C	2,083 mm	5
1975	29.3 °C27 March 1975	10.7 °C10 January 1975	19.6 °C	2,401 mm	0
1974	29.0 °C1 April 1974	10.4 °C16 January 1974	19.7 °C	1,901 mm	0
1973	29.5 °C12 March 1973	12.2 °C17 January 1973	20.2 °C	2,273 mm	0
1972	30.7 °C26 March 1972	11.8 °C9 February 1972	20.1 °C	2,243 mm	1
1971	27.9 °C8 September 1971	11.3 °C13 February 1971	19.4 °C	2,390 mm	0
1970	26.9 °C1 April 1970	12.4 °C28 January 1970	19.8 °C	2,488 mm	0
1969	28.8 °C26 March 1969	12.4 °C13 February 1969	20.0 °C	2,611 mm	0
1968	26.6 °C1 March 1968	11.4 °C14 February 1968	19.5 °C	2,339 mm	0
1967	27.4 °C4 April 1967	10.5 °C10 February 1967	19.6 °C	2,678 mm	0
1966	27.4 °C27 March 1966	13.5 °C2 January 1966	19.9 °C	2,499 mm	0
1965	26.5 °C12 April 1965	13.2 °C10 January 1965	19.3 °C	3,232 mm	0
1964	26.6 °C19 April 1964	12.4 °C9 March 1964	19.6 °C	2,477 mm	0
1963	27.2 °C10 May 1963	11.7 °C17 February 1963	19.6 °C	2,605 mm	0
1962	25.3 °C5 May 1962	11.6 °C2 March 1962	19.5 °C	2,559 mm	0
1961	26.4 °C13 April 1961	13.5 °C27 February 1961	19.6 °C	2,042 mm	0
1960	25.6 °C25 March 1960	12.8 °C8 February 1960	19.5 °C	2,566 mm	0
1959	29.1 °C31 March 1959	12.4 °C2 March 1959	20.0 °C	2,211 mm	0
1958	26.6 °C28 February 1958	13.4 °C27 February 1958	19.9 °C	2,307 mm	0
1957	28.6 °C11 April 1957	11.7 °C10 February 1957	19.7 °C	2,328 mm	0
1956	28.0 °C7 April 1956	11.1 °C22 January 1956	19.2 °C	2,205 mm	0
1955	26.2 °C15 April 1955	12.8 °C14 November 1955	19.1 °C	2,812 mm	0
1954	26.1 °C23 February 1954	12.7 °C8 February 1954	19.2 °C	2,990 mm	0
1953	30.0 °C29 March 1953	13.9 °C15 February 1953	20.3 °C	1,750 mm	1
1952	30.2 °C9 March 1952	13.1 °C14 January 1952	20.4 °C	1,530 mm	1
1951	29.8 °C15 March 1951	13.2 °C6 January 1951	20.1 °C	2,016 mm	0
1950	28.6 °C5 March 1950	13.1 °C26 January 1950	20.0 °C	1,502 mm	0
1949	28.8 °C26 April 1949	13.6 °C26 January 1949	19.8 °C	1,546 mm	0
1948	25.2 °C5 May 1948	12.2 °C26 February 1948	19.4 °C	2,779 mm	0
1947	27.0 °C27 April 1947	12.9 °C13 February 1947	19.4 °C	2,431 mm	0
1946	26.6 °C13 March 1946	12.2 °C4 March 1946	19.3 °C	2,522 mm	0
1945	28.5 °C9 May 1945	11.3 °C4 January 1945	19.3 °C	2,327 mm	0
1944	26.0 °C20 February 1944	11.4 °C7 February 1944	19.2 °C	2,813 mm	0
1943	27.5 °C5 March 1943	11.5 °C20 January 1943	18.8 °C	2,328 mm	0
1942	24.9 °C21 April 1942	12.0 °C25 January 1942	18.8 °C	2,691 mm	0
1941	27.2 °C4 April 1941	10.8 °C29 January 1941	19.2 °C	2,502 mm	0
1940	25.7 °C4 March 1940	12.3 °C11 January 1940	19.1 °C	2,629 mm	0

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?

Year

Across the whole year

Average daily high

24.5 °C

+0.7 °C

Hot days (≥ 30 °C)

0 d/yr

-1

Frost days (< 0 °C)

0 d/yr

Annual rainfall

2930 mm

+524 mm

Month by month

	High	vs. normal	Precipitation	vs. normal
Jan	22.5 °C	0.0 °C	362 mm	+241 mm
Feb	25.3 °C	+1.4 °C	46 mm	-47 mm
Mar	25.3 °C	-0.1 °C	147 mm	+19 mm
Apr	25.7 °C	+0.2 °C	364 mm	+139 mm
May	25.1 °C	+0.3 °C	235 mm	+14 mm
Jun	24.6 °C	+0.8 °C	132 mm	-37 mm
Jul	24.4 °C	+0.8 °C	220 mm	+37 mm
Aug	24.6 °C	+0.9 °C	122 mm	-65 mm
Sep	25.0 °C	+1.1 °C	164 mm	-53 mm
Oct	24.8 °C	+1.2 °C	370 mm	+34 mm
Nov	23.3 °C	+0.2 °C	667 mm	+354 mm
Dec	23.4 °C	+1.0 °C	102 mm	-113 mm

The year's extremes

Hottest day

27.8 °C

3 Oct 2025

Coldest day

13.9 °C

10 Feb 2025

Wettest day

168.9 mm

27 Nov 2025

Windiest day

21.5 km/h

29 May 2025

Strongest gust

89.3 km/h

29 May 2025

Hottest feels-like

32.7 °C

5 May 2025

Coldest feels-like

13.7 °C

10 Feb 2025

Sunniest day

12.3 h

7 Jun 2025

What was the weather like that day?

Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.

Date

Frequently asked questions

What is the climate of Nuwara Eliya?

Nuwara Eliya has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 20.0 °C and it receives 2,406 mm of precipitation per year.

What is the hottest day ever recorded in Nuwara Eliya?

The hottest day measured in Nuwara Eliya between 1940 and 2025 was 22 April 1983, reaching 32.1 °C.

What is the coldest day in Nuwara Eliya?

The coldest day measured in Nuwara Eliya between 1940 and 2025 was 16 January 1974, at 10.4 °C.

Does it snow in Nuwara Eliya?

Almost never: Nuwara Eliya sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.

Has the climate of Nuwara Eliya warmed?

Yes: Nuwara Eliya warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.

What is the wettest day in Nuwara Eliya?

The wettest day measured in Nuwara Eliya between 1940 and 2025 was 27 November 2025, with 169 mm of rain in 24 hours.

What was the windiest day in Nuwara Eliya?

The windiest day measured in Nuwara Eliya between 1940 and 2025 was 3 November 1978, with winds reaching 26.3 km/h.

What is the warmest month in Nuwara Eliya?

The warmest month in Nuwara Eliya is May (21.1 °C on average); the coldest is January (18.7 °C).

How much does it rain in Nuwara Eliya?

Nuwara Eliya receives on average 2,406 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 273 rainy days.

Is it sunny in Nuwara Eliya?

Nuwara Eliya gets on average 10.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,687 hours per year over 1940-2025.

Are there tropical nights in Nuwara Eliya?

Yes: Nuwara Eliya has on average 2 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.

What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Nuwara Eliya?

In Nuwara Eliya, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 34.5 °C on 14 April 1983, and the lowest was 8.2 °C on 7 February 1944.

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