Colombo weather in August

In August, Colombo sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 168 mm of rain across 23.7 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in August, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of August to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Colombo's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colombo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
26°
7th coldest
Rainfall
168 mm
23.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:08 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
80%
10th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Colombo is largest city and de facto capital of Sri Lanka.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 23.6 µg/m³ · 2019

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical August day in Colombo reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826
312826

How August really feels in Colombo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August 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 August is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Colombo weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 24°537.911.65.3
Feb30° / 25°547.811.85.1
Mar30° / 26°7514.9124.3
Apr30° / 26°16624.812.13.2
May30° / 27°27928.912.32.9
Jun29° / 26°24326.812.43.2
Jul28° / 26°18324.412.43.7
Aug28° / 26°16823.712.23.9
Sep28° / 26°22324.5123.7
Oct29° / 25°3262611.83.5
Nov29° / 25°30723.711.73.6
Dec29° / 25°16415.911.64.6

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 84%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21882
31882
41882
51882
61882
71882
81882
91882
101882
111783
121783
131783
141783
151783
161783
171783
181585
191585
201585
211585
221585
231585
241684
251684
261684
271684
281585
291585
301684
311684

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Colombo gets around 168 mm of rain over 23.7 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 77% and peaks near 80% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
178
278
377
477
577
676
776
876
975
1075
1175
1274
1374
1474
1574
1674
1775
1875
1975
2076
2176
2277
2377
2478
2578
2678
2779
2879
2979
3080
3180

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the miserable band about 84% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11486
21486
31387
41387
51387
61387
71387
81387
91387
101387
111486
121486
131486
141585
151585
161684
171684
181783
191783
201882
211882
221882
231981
241981
251981
262080
272080
282179
292179
302278
312278

Wind in August

Winds average 19 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of August to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:07 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:076:26
212.36:086:26
312.36:086:25
412.36:086:25
512.36:086:25
612.36:086:25
712.36:086:24
812.36:086:24
912.36:086:24
1012.36:086:24
1112.36:086:23
1212.36:086:23
1312.26:086:23
1412.26:086:22
1512.26:086:22
1612.26:086:22
1712.26:086:21
1812.26:086:21
1912.26:086:20
2012.26:086:20
2112.26:086:20
2212.26:076:19
2312.26:076:19
2412.26:076:18
2512.26:076:18
2612.26:076:17
2712.26:076:17
2812.26:076:16
2912.26:076:16
3012.16:076:15
3112.16:066:15

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in March across the year — August's 5.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Colombo

In seasonPeak

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

Colombo 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 August a good time to visit Colombo?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Colombo.

What to pack for Colombo in August

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

In August, Colombo sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Colombo in August

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore 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
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Colombo in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August 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 Colombo peaks around September 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highSep 10UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Colombo in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Colombo is worst in February — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (September, 16 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Colombo's WHO annual average of 23.6 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateFeb 1433 µg/m³Sep 1116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan32Moderate
Feb33Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Colombo?

Colombo sits at 6.9°N, 79.8°E, 7 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kolonnawa, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Colombo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Colombo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 32 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 71 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,145 m.

The land around Colombo is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and water (38%) within 3 km, water (55%), artificial surfaces (22%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
32 m
16 km
71 m
80 km
2,145 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Kolonnawa 4.0 km · Peliyagoda 5.0 km · Kotikawatta 7.0 km · Hendala 7.0 km · Wattala 8.0 km · Pita Kotte 8.0 km · Kelaniya 8.0 km · Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte 9.0 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 Colombo (6.9355°, 79.8487°, elevation 7 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).