Ratnapura climate — normals and trends
Ratnapura (Sri Lanka) has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 22.9 °C and it receives 4,254 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 (23.8 °C on average) and the coldest is January (22.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Ratnapura averages 0 frost days, 2 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 325 rainy days per year.
Ratnapura 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 32.5 °C (on 27 March 1998) and the coldest 13.2 °C (on 13 February 1971).
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
RatnapuraSabaragamuwa Province
- coords
- 6.69°, 80.40°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
22.9°C
Average daily high
26.5°C
Average daily low
20.2°C
Annual rainfall
4,254mm
Sunshine / day
9.9h
Mean relative humidity
88%
Average peak wind
9.3km/h
Seasonal range
1.4°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
2 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
325 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
31.4 °C
Average feels-like low
23.3 °C
Average peak gust
32.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
240 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.82 · 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
32.5 °C
27 March 1998
Coldest day
13.2 °C
13 February 1971
Wettest day
265 mm
18 October 2023
Windiest day
23.1 km/h
3 November 1978
Strongest gust
80.6 km/h
24 November 1978
Hottest feels-like
38.8 °C
27 April 2016
Coldest feels-like
12.8 °C
7 February 1944
Sunniest day
12.3 h
30 May 1945
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 | 637 mm | +317 mm |
| Feb | 29.1 °C | +1.8 °C | 168 mm | -108 mm |
| Mar | 28.6 °C | +0.8 °C | 367 mm | +11 mm |
| Apr | 28.4 °C | +0.6 °C | 337 mm | -82 mm |
| May | 27.7 °C | +0.9 °C | 341 mm | +11 mm |
| Jun | 27.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 239 mm | -44 mm |
| Jul | 26.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 278 mm | +41 mm |
| Aug | 26.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 126 mm | -113 mm |
| Sep | 27.3 °C | +1.4 °C | 227 mm | -19 mm |
| Oct | 27.4 °C | +1.3 °C | 542 mm | +92 mm |
| Nov | 26.5 °C | +0.2 °C | 899 mm | +305 mm |
| Dec | 27.4 °C | +1.1 °C | 347 mm | -160 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 Ratnapura?
Ratnapura has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 22.9 °C and it receives 4,254 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Ratnapura?
The hottest day measured in Ratnapura between 1940 and 2025 was 27 March 1998, reaching 32.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Ratnapura?
The coldest day measured in Ratnapura between 1940 and 2025 was 13 February 1971, at 13.2 °C.
Does it snow in Ratnapura?
Almost never: Ratnapura sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Ratnapura warmed?
Yes: Ratnapura warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Ratnapura?
The wettest day measured in Ratnapura between 1940 and 2025 was 18 October 2023, with 265 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Ratnapura?
The windiest day measured in Ratnapura between 1940 and 2025 was 3 November 1978, with winds reaching 23.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Ratnapura?
The warmest month in Ratnapura is May (23.8 °C on average); the coldest is January (22.4 °C).
How much does it rain in Ratnapura?
Ratnapura receives on average 4,254 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 325 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Ratnapura?
Ratnapura gets on average 9.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,614 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Ratnapura?
Yes: Ratnapura has on average 240 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Ratnapura?
In Ratnapura, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 38.8 °C on 27 April 2016, and the lowest was 12.8 °C on 7 February 1944.
Compare Ratnapura with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Ratnapura