Colombo weather in November

In November, Colombo sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 307 mm of rain across 23.7 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 2nd-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 9% of the time in November, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of November to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, November is Colombo's 7th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colombo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
7th warmest
Overnight low
25°
4th coldest
Rainfall
307 mm
23.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:06 AM – 5:46 PM
Cloud cover
78%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
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 November

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical November day in Colombo reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°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, November runs on par with October and on par with December.

20°25°30°35°151015202530
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
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925

How November really feels in Colombo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, November averages 30 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
30
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Colombo weather by month

How November compares with the rest of the year at a glance. November is the 7th-warmest and 2nd-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 November

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in November.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of November, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31882
41882
51882
61882
71882
81882
91981
102080
112080
122080
132179
142179
152179
162179
172179
182278
192278
202278
212278
222278
232377
242476
252575
262575
272575
282674
292872
302872

Chance of precipitation in November

Any precipitation

Colombo gets around 307 mm of rain over 23.7 wet days in November. 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 85% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
185
285
385
485
585
685
784
884
984
1083
1183
1282
1382
1481
1581
1680
1780
1879
1978
2078
2177
2276
2375
2474
2572
2671
2770
2869
2967
3066

Humidity in November

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, November lands in the oppressive band about 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
105644
205743
305743
405842
505941
606040
706139
816039
916138
1016237
1116336
1216435
1316534
1416534
1516633
1616732
1716831
1816930
1917029
2027028
2127028
2227127
2327226
2437225
2537324
2637423
2747323
2847422
2957322
3057421

Wind in November

Winds average 11 km/h in November.

Across November, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3013light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in November

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of November to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over November. Sunrise moves from 6:02 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:025:47
211.76:025:47
311.76:025:46
411.76:025:46
511.76:025:46
611.76:035:46
711.76:035:46
811.76:035:46
911.76:035:46
1011.76:045:46
1111.76:045:46
1211.76:045:46
1311.76:055:46
1411.76:055:46
1511.76:055:46
1611.76:065:46
1711.76:065:46
1811.76:065:46
1911.76:075:47
2011.76:075:47
2111.76:075:47
2211.76:085:47
2311.76:085:47
2411.66:095:47
2511.66:095:48
2611.66:095:48
2711.66:105:48
2811.66:105:48
2911.66:115:49
3011.66:115:49

Solar energy in November

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in November, about 4.64 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — November's 4.64 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
Planning a trip in November

Hazard calendar for Colombo

In seasonPeak

In November, 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 November a good time to visit Colombo?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

November is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Colombo.

What to pack for Colombo in November

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

In November, Colombo sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°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 November

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in November — 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 November

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in November 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 November

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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