Vakarai climate — normals and trends
Vakarai (Sri Lanka) has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 27.6 °C and it receives 1,211 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 June (29.3 °C on average) and the coldest is January (25.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Vakarai averages 0 frost days, 166 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 153 rainy days per year.
Vakarai has warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.11 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 35.6 °C (on 12 May 1953) and the coldest 20.9 °C (on 30 January 1980).
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
VakaraiEastern Province
- coords
- 8.13°, 81.43°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
27.6°C
Average daily high
29.6°C
Average daily low
26.0°C
Annual rainfall
1,211mm
Sunshine / day
10.6h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
22.3km/h
Seasonal range
3.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
166 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
153 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
34.2 °C
Average feels-like low
28.7 °C
Average peak gust
34.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
365 d/yr
Solar radiation
21.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.0 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.68 · 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
35.6 °C
12 May 1953
Coldest day
20.9 °C
30 January 1980
Wettest day
259 mm
16 December 2024
Windiest day
59.4 km/h
23 November 1978
Strongest gust
84.2 km/h
24 November 1978
Hottest feels-like
42.4 °C
27 April 1973
Coldest feels-like
17.7 °C
8 December 2022
Sunniest day
12.5 h
3 June 1940
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 | 26.9 °C | +0.4 °C | 289 mm | +152 mm |
| Feb | 27.9 °C | +0.8 °C | 98 mm | +23 mm |
| Mar | 28.9 °C | +0.5 °C | 90 mm | +38 mm |
| Apr | 30.4 °C | +0.5 °C | 111 mm | +54 mm |
| May | 32.4 °C | +0.7 °C | 19 mm | -35 mm |
| Jun | 33.0 °C | +0.7 °C | 7 mm | -10 mm |
| Jul | 32.7 °C | +0.8 °C | 7 mm | -24 mm |
| Aug | 31.9 °C | +0.2 °C | 40 mm | +2 mm |
| Sep | 32.5 °C | +1.2 °C | 26 mm | -32 mm |
| Oct | 29.9 °C | +0.3 °C | 180 mm | +21 mm |
| Nov | 28.3 °C | +0.6 °C | 666 mm | +400 mm |
| Dec | 27.1 °C | +0.3 °C | 212 mm | -57 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 Vakarai?
Vakarai has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 27.6 °C and it receives 1,211 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Vakarai?
The hottest day measured in Vakarai between 1940 and 2025 was 12 May 1953, reaching 35.6 °C.
What is the coldest day in Vakarai?
The coldest day measured in Vakarai between 1940 and 2025 was 30 January 1980, at 20.9 °C.
Does it snow in Vakarai?
Almost never: Vakarai sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Vakarai warmed?
Yes: Vakarai warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Vakarai?
The wettest day measured in Vakarai between 1940 and 2025 was 16 December 2024, with 259 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Vakarai?
The windiest day measured in Vakarai between 1940 and 2025 was 23 November 1978, with winds reaching 59.4 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Vakarai?
The warmest month in Vakarai is June (29.3 °C on average); the coldest is January (25.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Vakarai?
Vakarai receives on average 1,211 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 153 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Vakarai?
Vakarai gets on average 10.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,869 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Vakarai?
Yes: Vakarai has on average 365 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Vakarai?
In Vakarai, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.4 °C on 27 April 1973, and the lowest was 17.7 °C on 8 December 2022.
Compare Vakarai with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Vakarai