Trincomalee climate — normals and trends
Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 27.5 °C and it receives 1,200 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 (29.2 °C on average) and the coldest is January (25.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Trincomalee averages 0 frost days, 197 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 148 rainy days per year.
Trincomalee has warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.12 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.2 °C (on 6 June 1979) and the coldest 19.6 °C (on 7 February 1957).
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
TrincomaleeEastern Province
- coords
- 8.58°, 81.23°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
27.5°C
Average daily high
30.3°C
Average daily low
25.5°C
Annual rainfall
1,200mm
Sunshine / day
10.6h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
21.8km/h
Seasonal range
3.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
197 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
148 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
34.4 °C
Average feels-like low
28.4 °C
Average peak gust
35.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
365 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.0 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.64 · 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
37.2 °C
6 June 1979
Coldest day
19.6 °C
7 February 1957
Wettest day
223 mm
12 September 1953
Windiest day
55.0 km/h
24 November 1978
Strongest gust
83.5 km/h
27 November 2025
Hottest feels-like
43.7 °C
18 May 2012
Coldest feels-like
17.5 °C
8 December 2022
Sunniest day
12.5 h
17 June 1977
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 | 27.1 °C | +0.4 °C | 263 mm | +135 mm |
| Feb | 28.4 °C | +0.9 °C | 80 mm | +10 mm |
| Mar | 29.5 °C | +0.4 °C | 81 mm | +34 mm |
| Apr | 31.6 °C | +0.5 °C | 114 mm | +58 mm |
| May | 32.9 °C | +0.1 °C | 20 mm | -32 mm |
| Jun | 33.4 °C | +0.5 °C | 8 mm | -7 mm |
| Jul | 33.3 °C | +0.7 °C | 13 mm | -19 mm |
| Aug | 32.9 °C | +0.4 °C | 37 mm | -5 mm |
| Sep | 33.0 °C | +0.7 °C | 22 mm | -40 mm |
| Oct | 30.5 °C | +0.1 °C | 272 mm | +108 mm |
| Nov | 28.6 °C | +0.5 °C | 726 mm | +459 mm |
| Dec | 27.3 °C | +0.3 °C | 234 mm | -33 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 Trincomalee?
Trincomalee has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 27.5 °C and it receives 1,200 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Trincomalee?
The hottest day measured in Trincomalee between 1940 and 2025 was 6 June 1979, reaching 37.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Trincomalee?
The coldest day measured in Trincomalee between 1940 and 2025 was 7 February 1957, at 19.6 °C.
Does it snow in Trincomalee?
Almost never: Trincomalee sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Trincomalee warmed?
Yes: Trincomalee warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Trincomalee?
The wettest day measured in Trincomalee between 1940 and 2025 was 12 September 1953, with 223 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Trincomalee?
The windiest day measured in Trincomalee between 1940 and 2025 was 24 November 1978, with winds reaching 55.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Trincomalee?
The warmest month in Trincomalee is May (29.2 °C on average); the coldest is January (25.4 °C).
How much does it rain in Trincomalee?
Trincomalee receives on average 1,200 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 148 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Trincomalee?
Trincomalee gets on average 10.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,869 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Trincomalee?
Yes: Trincomalee has on average 365 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Trincomalee?
In Trincomalee, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.7 °C on 18 May 2012, and the lowest was 17.5 °C on 8 December 2022.
Compare Trincomalee with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Trincomalee