Colombo weather in July

In July, Colombo sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 183 mm of rain across 24.4 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 6th-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 5% of the time in July, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of July to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, July is Colombo's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colombo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
10th warmest
Overnight low
26°
9th coldest
Rainfall
183 mm
24.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:05 AM – 6:27 PM
Cloud cover
83%
11th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
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 July

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical July 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 28°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, July runs on par with June and on par with August.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12926
22926
32926
42926
52926
62926
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 July really feels in Colombo

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

Colombo weather by month

How July compares with the rest of the year at a glance. July is the 10th-warmest and 6th-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 July

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in July.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of July, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 87%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31585
41486
51486
61486
71486
81486
91486
101486
111486
121387
131387
141387
151387
161288
171288
181387
191387
201288
211288
221288
231288
241486
251486
261387
271486
281486
291486
301585
311585

Chance of precipitation in July

Any precipitation

Colombo gets around 183 mm of rain over 24.4 wet days in July. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 79% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
183
283
382
482
581
681
780
879
979
1078
1178
1278
1378
1478
1578
1678
1778
1878
1978
2078
2178
2278
2378
2478
2578
2678
2778
2879
2979
3079
3179

Humidity in July

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, July lands in the miserable band about 87% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1694
2793
3892
4892
5991
61090
71090
81189
91189
101288
111288
121387
131387
141486
151486
161486
171486
181585
191585
201585
211585
221585
231585
241585
251585
261585
271585
281585
291585
301486
311486

Wind in July

Winds average 19 km/h in July.

Across July, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light 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
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in July

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of July to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over July. Sunrise moves from 6:02 AM to 6:07 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:026:26
212.46:026:26
312.46:026:26
412.46:036:26
512.46:036:26
612.46:036:27
712.46:036:27
812.46:046:27
912.46:046:27
1012.46:046:27
1112.46:046:27
1212.46:046:27
1312.46:056:27
1412.46:056:27
1512.46:056:27
1612.46:056:27
1712.46:056:27
1812.46:066:27
1912.46:066:27
2012.46:066:27
2112.46:066:27
2212.36:066:27
2312.36:066:27
2412.36:076:27
2512.36:076:27
2612.36:076:27
2712.36:076:27
2812.36:076:26
2912.36:076:26
3012.36:076:26
3112.36:076:26

Solar energy in July

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in July, about 5 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 — July's 5 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in July

Hazard calendar for Colombo

In seasonPeak

None of Colombo's seasonal hazards are active in July. 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 July a good time to visit Colombo?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

July is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Colombo.

What to pack for Colombo in July

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

In July, 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 July

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in July — 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 July

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in July peaks around 11 (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 July

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where July 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
July 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).