Badulla weather in May

In May, Badulla sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 140 mm of rain across 17 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May, and the air most often feels muggy.

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

Daytime high
29°
5th warmest
Overnight low
21°
9th coldest
Rainfall
140 mm
17 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:53 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
75%
5th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Badulla reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and on par with June.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12920
22921
32921
42921
52921
62921
72921
82921
92921
102921
112921
122921
132921
142921
153021
163021
173021
183021
193021
203021
213021
223021
233022
243022
253022
263022
273022
283022
293022
303022
313022

Badulla weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 5th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
22971
32971
42971
52971
62971
72971
82971
92971
102971
112971
122872
132872
142872
152773
162773
172773
182773
192773
202674
212674
222575
232575
242575
252476
262377
272278
282179
292179
302080
311981

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Badulla gets around 140 mm of rain over 17 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 55% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
166
265
365
465
564
663
762
861
960
1059
1157
1256
1354
1453
1552
1651
1750
1849
1948
2048
2148
2248
2349
2449
2550
2650
2751
2851
2950
3050
3149

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the muggy band about 78% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 89% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
198110
298011
397912
497813
597813
697714
797615
897615
997615
10107515
11107515
12107515
13107515
14107515
15107614
16107614
17107713
18107812
19107812
20107911
21117811
22117910
23117910
24117910
2511809
2612799
2713798
2813798
2914788
3016777
3117767

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 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 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 6:10 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:566:10
212.25:556:10
312.35:556:10
412.35:556:10
512.35:556:10
612.35:546:10
712.35:546:11
812.35:546:11
912.35:546:11
1012.35:536:11
1112.35:536:11
1212.35:536:11
1312.35:536:11
1412.35:536:11
1512.35:536:11
1612.35:536:12
1712.35:526:12
1812.35:526:12
1912.35:526:12
2012.35:526:12
2112.35:526:12
2212.35:526:12
2312.35:526:13
2412.35:526:13
2512.45:526:13
2612.45:526:13
2712.45:526:13
2812.45:526:14
2912.45:526:14
3012.45:526:14
3112.45:526:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.73 kWh/m².

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 — May's 5.73 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Badulla

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Badulla?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Badulla for sightseeing.

What to pack for Badulla in May

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

In May, Badulla sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Badulla in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 14 (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 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 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
May 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).