Badulla weather in December

In December, Badulla sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 222 mm of rain across 21.4 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Badulla's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Badulla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
11th warmest
Overnight low
19°
4th coldest
Rainfall
222 mm
21.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:14 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
77%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Badulla is city in Sri Lanka.

Density
4,759/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Badulla reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12519
22519
32519
42519
52519
62519
72519
82519
92419
102419
112419
122419
132419
142419
152419
162419
172419
182419
192419
202419
212418
222418
232418
242418
252418
262418
272418
282418
292418
302418
312418

Badulla weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 18°12715.711.65.9
Feb25° / 18°8712.711.86.2
Mar27° / 18°8012.2126.0
Apr28° / 20°16719.712.14.4
May29° / 21°1401712.34.3
Jun30° / 22°529.612.44.7
Jul30° / 22°527.712.44.8
Aug30° / 21°699.512.24.7
Sep30° / 21°12713.4124.5
Oct28° / 20°26821.611.84.4
Nov25° / 19°27224.511.74.2
Dec24° / 19°22221.411.65.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
22080
32080
42080
52179
62179
72179
82179
92179
102179
112179
122179
132179
142179
152278
162278
172278
182278
192377
202476
212476
222575
232575
242674
252674
262773
272872
282872
292872
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Badulla gets around 222 mm of rain over 21.4 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 69% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
276
375
474
574
674
773
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1473
1572
1672
1771
1871
1970
2069
2168
2267
2366
2464
2563
2662
2761
2860
2959
3059
3159

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 74% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 74% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
111683
211782
311881
411980
521979
622078
722078
822078
922177
1022177
1122177
1222177
1322177
1422177
1522177
1622276
1732275
1832275
1932275
2042373
2142373
2242472
2352471
2452570
2562668
2662767
2772766
2882864
2982864
3082864
3192962

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:07 AM to 6:21 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:075:44
211.66:075:45
311.66:085:45
411.66:085:45
511.66:095:45
611.66:095:46
711.66:105:46
811.66:105:47
911.66:115:47
1011.66:115:47
1111.66:125:48
1211.66:125:48
1311.66:135:49
1411.66:135:49
1511.66:145:49
1611.66:145:50
1711.66:155:50
1811.66:155:51
1911.66:155:51
2011.66:165:52
2111.66:165:52
2211.66:175:53
2311.66:175:53
2411.66:185:54
2511.66:185:54
2611.66:195:54
2711.66:195:55
2811.66:205:55
2911.66:205:56
3011.66:215:56
3111.66:215:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.94 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 3.94 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Bright
34.0Moderate
44.0Moderate
54.0Moderate
64.0Moderate
74.0Moderate
84.0Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
254.0Moderate
264.0Moderate
274.0Bright
284.0Bright
294.0Bright
304.1Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Badulla

In seasonPeak

In December, Badulla sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Badulla's rainy season runs April–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Badulla?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Badulla for sightseeing.

What to pack for Badulla in December

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

In December, Badulla sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Badulla in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Badulla peaks around April 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 13UV 14Dec 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Badulla in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Badulla is worst in November — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 27 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorNov 1847 µg/m³Jul 1327 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb36Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr44Poor
May36Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct41Poor
Nov48Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Badulla?

Badulla sits at 7.0°N, 81.1°E, 683 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Ella, 12 km away.

Nuwara EliyaHattonGampolaKandyKataragamaMataleAmpara

Topography around Badulla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Badulla has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 489 m around an average of 789 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,860 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,497 m.

The land around Badulla is covered by trees (77%) within 3 km, trees (83%) within 16 km, and trees (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
489 m
16 km
1,860 m
80 km
2,497 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Ella 12 km · Nuwara Eliya 30 km · Hatton 52 km · Gampola 58 km · Kandy 58 km · Kataragama 70 km · Matale 73 km · Ampara 77 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 Badulla (6.9802°, 81.0577°, elevation 683 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. 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).