Dambulla weather in December

In December, Dambulla sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 229 mm of rain across 21.6 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Dambulla's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dambulla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
21°
4th coldest
Rainfall
229 mm
21.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:17 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
78%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Dambulla is human settlement.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Dambulla reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12821
22821
32821
42821
52821
62821
72721
82721
92721
102721
112721
122721
132721
142721
152721
162721
172721
182721
192721
202721
212721
222721
232721
242721
252721
262721
272721
282721
292721
302721
312721

How December really feels in Dambulla

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

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Dambulla weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°12815.211.65.5
Feb29° / 20°8411.711.75.4
Mar31° / 21°7410.911.94.4
Apr32° / 23°15218.812.23.1
May31° / 24°11318.312.43.4
Jun31° / 24°4514.212.43.9
Jul31° / 24°5516.112.43.8
Aug31° / 24°6417.912.33.5
Sep31° / 24°8818.7123.3
Oct30° / 23°24822.711.83.3
Nov28° / 22°28224.111.63.7
Dec27° / 21°22921.611.64.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31882
41882
51882
61882
71882
81882
91882
101882
111882
122080
132080
142080
152080
162080
172179
182278
192179
202278
212278
222278
232476
242476
252476
262575
272674
282773
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Dambulla gets around 229 mm of rain over 21.6 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 69% and peaks near 75% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
175
274
373
473
572
672
772
871
971
1071
1171
1272
1372
1471
1571
1671
1771
1871
1971
2070
2170
2269
2368
2467
2566
2664
2763
2862
2961
3060
3160

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 68% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
132077
232176
332275
432374
532473
642571
742571
842571
942571
1042571
1132572
1242571
1342571
1442571
1542571
1642472
1742472
1852570
1952570
2052570
2162668
2262767
2372865
2472964
2583062
2683161
2793259
2893358
29103456
30103456
31103555

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:10 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:105:44
211.66:105:45
311.66:115:45
411.66:115:45
511.66:125:46
611.66:125:46
711.66:135:46
811.66:135:47
911.66:145:47
1011.66:145:47
1111.66:155:48
1211.66:155:48
1311.56:165:49
1411.56:165:49
1511.56:175:49
1611.56:175:50
1711.56:185:50
1811.56:185:51
1911.56:195:51
2011.56:195:52
2111.56:205:52
2211.56:205:53
2311.56:215:53
2411.56:215:54
2511.56:215:54
2611.56:225:55
2711.56:225:55
2811.56:235:56
2911.56:235:56
3011.56:245:57
3111.56:245:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.76 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 3.76 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Dambulla

In seasonPeak

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

Dambulla's rainy season runs April–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Dambulla?

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
4.7
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Dambulla for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dambulla in December

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

In December, Dambulla sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Dambulla 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 Dambulla peaks around April 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highApr 20UV 14Dec 20UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Dambulla 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 Dambulla is worst in April — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorApr 1146 µg/m³Jul 1930 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan40Poor
Feb37Poor
Mar45Poor
Apr46Poor
May40Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep34Moderate
Oct43Poor
Nov44Poor
Dec41Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Dambulla?

Dambulla sits at 7.9°N, 80.7°E, 168 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Sigiriya, 15 km away.

PolonnaruwaMataleKurunegalaAnuradhapuraKandyKegalleGampola

Topography around Dambulla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dambulla has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 186 m around an average of 173 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 747 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,865 m.

The land around Dambulla is covered by trees (69%) within 3 km, trees (73%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) within 80 km.

3 km
186 m
16 km
747 m
80 km
1,865 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Sigiriya 15 km · Polonnaruwa 40 km · Matale 44 km · Kurunegala 52 km · Anuradhapura 57 km · Kandy 63 km · Kegalle 76 km · Gampola 78 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 Dambulla (7.86°, 80.6517°, elevation 168 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. 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).