Ampara weather in May

In May, Ampara sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 81 mm of rain across 15.3 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Ampara's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ampara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
10th coldest
Rainfall
81 mm
15.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:50 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
70%
4th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Ampara is town in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month.

A typical May day in Ampara reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C warmer than April and about 1°C cooler than June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13326
23426
33426
43426
53426
63426
73426
83426
93426
103426
113426
123426
133426
143426
153426
163426
173426
183426
193526
203526
213527
223527
233527
243527
253527
263527
273527
283527
293527
303527
313527

How May really feels in Ampara

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Ampara weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 23°1521811.64.6
Feb29° / 23°8313.211.84.7
Mar31° / 24°5811.2124.3
Apr33° / 25°8115.812.23.1
May34° / 26°8115.312.32.5
Jun35° / 27°4710.512.42.3
Jul35° / 27°4910.912.42.3
Aug35° / 26°631412.22.3
Sep34° / 26°9616.7122.4
Oct32° / 25°19622.811.82.8
Nov29° / 24°2572511.73.3
Dec28° / 23°26122.811.64.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23862
33862
43961
53862
63862
73862
83763
93763
103763
113763
123664
133664
143664
153565
163466
173466
183466
193367
203367
213268
223268
233268
243070
253070
263070
273070
282872
292773
302773
312575

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Ampara gets around 81 mm of rain over 15.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 49% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
153
253
353
452
552
651
751
850
950
1049
1149
1248
1347
1447
1547
1646
1746
1847
1947
2047
2147
2247
2348
2448
2548
2648
2748
2847
2947
3047
3146

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
104060
204060
303961
403961
503862
603862
703862
803961
903961
1004060
1104159
1204258
1304357
1404357
1504456
1604555
1704654
1804753
1914851
2014950
2115049
2215148
2315247
2415346
2515445
2615544
2715643
2815742
2915841
3015940
3126038

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:53 AM to 5:49 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:536:08
212.35:536:08
312.35:526:08
412.35:526:08
512.35:526:08
612.35:516:08
712.35:516:08
812.35:516:09
912.35:516:09
1012.35:516:09
1112.35:506:09
1212.35:506:09
1312.35:506:09
1412.35:506:09
1512.35:506:09
1612.35:506:09
1712.35:496:10
1812.35:496:10
1912.35:496:10
2012.35:496:10
2112.45:496:10
2212.45:496:10
2312.45:496:11
2412.45:496:11
2512.45:496:11
2612.45:496:11
2712.45:496:11
2812.45:496:12
2912.45:496:12
3012.45:496:12
3112.45:496:12

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.99 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.99 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Bright
106.0Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Ampara

In seasonPeak

In May, Ampara sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Ampara sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Ampara's monsoon runs October–January, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Ampara?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

2.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ampara.

What to pack for Ampara in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Ampara sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ampara in May

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in May — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 23 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Ampara in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ampara peaks around April 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 15UV 14Dec 22UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Ampara in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Ampara is worst in May — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 2125 µg/m³Dec 2118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Ampara?

Ampara sits at 7.3°N, 81.7°E, 37 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kalmunai, 21 km away.

BatticaloaPottuvilEravur TownBadullaEllaVakaraiPolonnaruwa

Topography around Ampara

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ampara.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ampara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 600 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,026 m.

The land around Ampara is covered by trees (55%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and cropland (40%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
600 m
80 km
2,026 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Kalmunai 21 km · Batticaloa 46 km · Pottuvil 49 km · Eravur Town 54 km · Badulla 77 km · Ella 84 km · Vakarai 97 km · Polonnaruwa 103 km

Sri Lanka travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 27% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,002
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
47%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.3
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
19.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 486
Religion
Buddhist 70%Hindu 13%Muslim 10%Roman Catholic 6%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Ampara (7.2975°, 81.682°, elevation 37 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).