Chilaw weather in March

In March, Chilaw sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 69 mm of rain across 13.7 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in March, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Chilaw's 2nd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chilaw's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
1st warmest
Overnight low
26°
7th coldest
Rainfall
69 mm
13.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:22 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
49%
2nd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
6.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Chilaw is large town in Puttalam district, Sri Lanka.

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month.

A typical March day in Chilaw reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13125
23125
33125
43125
53125
63125
73125
83125
93126
103126
113126
123126
133126
143126
153126
163126
173126
183126
193126
203126
213126
223126
233126
243126
253126
263026
273026
283026
293026
303026
313026

How March really feels in Chilaw

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Chilaw weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 1st-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 24°376.111.65.7
Feb31° / 25°33611.85.2
Mar31° / 26°6913.711.94.4
Apr30° / 26°15224.912.23.2
May30° / 27°22128.112.33.0
Jun29° / 27°18525.812.43.4
Jul28° / 26°13322.112.44.0
Aug28° / 26°12921.912.24.1
Sep28° / 26°18024.4123.7
Oct29° / 26°29826.111.83.5
Nov29° / 25°26122.211.73.8
Dec29° / 25°13113.511.65.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36634
46634
56634
66733
76733
86634
96733
106733
116733
126733
136733
146733
156733
166733
176733
186634
196535
206535
216535
226535
236436
246337
256337
266238
276139
286040
295941
305842
315644

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Chilaw gets around 69 mm of rain over 13.7 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 45% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
227
328
429
531
633
734
836
938
1039
1140
1241
1342
1443
1544
1645
1746
1847
1948
2049
2150
2251
2352
2453
2555
2657
2759
2861
2964
3066
3168

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the miserable band about 47% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12166814
22156716
31146718
41136719
51126621
61126423
71116424
81106326
9096328
10096130
11085933
12075835
13075637
14065440
15065242
16055045
17044847
18044650
19034453
20034156
21023959
22023662
23013366
24013168
25012871
26012673
27012376
28002179
29001981
30001783
31001684

Wind in March

Winds average 11 km/h in March, the calmest month.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412calm
512calm
612calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 6:19 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:296:19
211.96:286:19
311.96:286:19
411.96:286:19
511.96:276:19
611.96:276:19
711.96:266:19
811.96:266:19
911.96:256:19
1011.96:256:19
1111.96:246:19
1211.96:246:19
1311.96:246:19
1411.96:236:19
1511.96:236:19
1611.96:226:19
1712.06:226:19
1812.06:216:19
1912.06:206:19
2012.06:206:19
2112.06:196:18
2212.06:196:18
2312.06:186:18
2412.06:186:18
2512.06:176:18
2612.06:176:18
2712.06:166:18
2812.06:166:18
2912.06:156:18
3012.06:156:18
3112.16:146:17

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.51 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.7 kWh/m² to a high of 6.51 kWh/m² in March across the year — March's 6.51 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Chilaw

In seasonPeak

None of Chilaw's seasonal hazards are active in March. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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

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

Is March a good time to visit Chilaw?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Chilaw for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Chilaw in March

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

In March, Chilaw sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Chilaw in March

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 20 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in August 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
Jan28Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Chilaw in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 Chilaw peaks around April 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 18UV 13Dec 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Chilaw in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Chilaw is worst in March — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (August, 17 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2030 µg/m³Aug 2417 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb23Moderate
Mar30Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Chilaw?

Chilaw sits at 7.6°N, 79.8°E, 8 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Negombo, 41 km away.

NegomboKatunayakaPuttalamJa ElaKandanaWelisaraKurunegalaHendala

Topography around Chilaw

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chilaw has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 977 m.

The land around Chilaw is covered by water (38%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, water (52%) and trees (39%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
15 m
16 km
67 m
80 km
977 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
March weather nearby: Negombo 41 km · Katunayaka 46 km · Puttalam 51 km · Ja Ela 57 km · Kandana 60 km · Welisara 62 km · Kurunegala 64 km · Hendala 66 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 Chilaw (7.5758°, 79.7953°, elevation 8 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).