Vavuniya climate — normals and trends
Vavuniya (Sri Lanka) has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 27.2 °C and it receives 1,084 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 (28.9 °C on average) and the coldest is January (24.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Vavuniya averages 0 frost days, 262 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 162 rainy days per year.
Vavuniya has warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.17 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 40.4 °C (on 27 April 1982) and the coldest 14.8 °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
VavuniyaNorthern Province
- coords
- 8.75°, 80.50°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
27.2°C
Average daily high
31.9°C
Average daily low
23.9°C
Annual rainfall
1,084mm
Sunshine / day
10.4h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
17.6km/h
Seasonal range
4.4°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
262 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
162 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
35.5 °C
Average feels-like low
27.3 °C
Average peak gust
39.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
349 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.5 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.60 · 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
40.4 °C
27 April 1982
Coldest day
14.8 °C
11 February 2001
Wettest day
152 mm
17 December 1957
Windiest day
38.2 km/h
19 June 1992
Strongest gust
93.2 km/h
23 July 1989
Hottest feels-like
44.6 °C
22 April 2024
Coldest feels-like
15.5 °C
11 February 2001
Sunniest day
12.5 h
2 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 | 28.7 °C | +0.3 °C | 157 mm | +87 mm |
| Feb | 31.3 °C | +0.9 °C | 34 mm | -9 mm |
| Mar | 32.7 °C | -0.5 °C | 65 mm | +13 mm |
| Apr | 33.5 °C | -0.6 °C | 136 mm | +41 mm |
| May | 33.6 °C | +0.1 °C | 52 mm | -25 mm |
| Jun | 34.7 °C | +1.4 °C | 19 mm | -13 mm |
| Jul | 35.0 °C | +1.5 °C | 25 mm | -23 mm |
| Aug | 34.4 °C | +0.9 °C | 35 mm | -20 mm |
| Sep | 33.9 °C | +0.6 °C | 56 mm | -15 mm |
| Oct | 32.0 °C | +0.5 °C | 305 mm | +127 mm |
| Nov | 29.5 °C | +0.2 °C | 554 mm | +343 mm |
| Dec | 28.7 °C | +0.5 °C | 120 mm | -31 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 Vavuniya?
Vavuniya has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 27.2 °C and it receives 1,084 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Vavuniya?
The hottest day measured in Vavuniya between 1940 and 2025 was 27 April 1982, reaching 40.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Vavuniya?
The coldest day measured in Vavuniya between 1940 and 2025 was 11 February 2001, at 14.8 °C.
Does it snow in Vavuniya?
Almost never: Vavuniya sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Vavuniya warmed?
Yes: Vavuniya warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Vavuniya?
The wettest day measured in Vavuniya between 1940 and 2025 was 17 December 1957, with 152 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Vavuniya?
The windiest day measured in Vavuniya between 1940 and 2025 was 19 June 1992, with winds reaching 38.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Vavuniya?
The warmest month in Vavuniya is May (28.9 °C on average); the coldest is January (24.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Vavuniya?
Vavuniya receives on average 1,084 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 162 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Vavuniya?
Vavuniya gets on average 10.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,796 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Vavuniya?
Yes: Vavuniya has on average 349 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Vavuniya?
In Vavuniya, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.6 °C on 22 April 2024, and the lowest was 15.5 °C on 11 February 2001.
Compare Vavuniya with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Vavuniya