Colombo weather in December

In December, Colombo sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 164 mm of rain across 15.9 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-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 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Colombo's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colombo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
25°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
164 mm
15.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:19 AM – 5:55 PM
Cloud cover
68%
5th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
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 December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical December day in Colombo reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242924
252924
262924
272924
282924
292924
302924
312924

How December really feels in Colombo

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

Colombo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 9th-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 December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
23070
33070
43169
53169
63268
73268
83268
93268
103268
113268
123268
133268
143268
153367
163466
173466
183565
193763
203763
213763
224060
234060
244357
254456
264555
274753
284852
294951
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Colombo gets around 164 mm of rain over 15.9 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 51% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
263
361
460
559
658
758
858
957
1057
1156
1256
1356
1455
1555
1654
1753
1853
1952
2050
2149
2248
2346
2444
2543
2641
2739
2838
2936
3035
3134

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 73% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1057421
2067420
3077320
4077419
5087319
6087319
7087319
8097318
9097318
10097318
11097318
12097417
13097417
140107416
151107316
161107415
171117414
181127413
191127512
201137412
211147411
221157410
23116749
24117739
25118738
26119728
27120727
28121726
29222706
30223696
31224695

Wind in December

Winds average 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

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 6:12 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:125:49
211.66:125:49
311.66:135:50
411.66:135:50
511.66:135:50
611.66:145:51
711.66:145:51
811.66:155:51
911.66:155:52
1011.66:165:52
1111.66:165:53
1211.66:175:53
1311.66:175:53
1411.66:185:54
1511.66:185:54
1611.66:195:55
1711.66:195:55
1811.66:205:56
1911.66:205:56
2011.66:215:57
2111.66:215:57
2211.66:225:57
2311.66:225:58
2411.66:235:58
2511.66:235:59
2611.66:245:59
2711.66:246:00
2811.66:246:00
2911.66:256:01
3011.66:256:01
3111.66:266:02

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.82 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 — December's 4.82 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Colombo

In seasonPeak

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

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 December a good time to visit Colombo?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Colombo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Colombo in December

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

In December, Colombo sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Colombo in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in December — 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 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 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 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 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
December 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).