Dambulla weather in May

In May, Dambulla sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 113 mm of rain across 18.3 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Dambulla's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dambulla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
24°
11th coldest
Rainfall
113 mm
18.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
5:53 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
73%
5th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Dambulla is human settlement.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month.

A typical May day in Dambulla reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13224
23224
33224
43224
53224
63224
73224
83224
93224
103224
113224
123224
133224
143224
153224
163124
173124
183124
193124
203124
213124
223124
233124
243124
253124
263124
273124
283124
293124
303124
313124

How May really feels in Dambulla

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

Dambulla weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33367
43367
53268
63268
73169
83169
93070
103070
113070
122971
132971
142872
152872
162872
172872
182773
192773
202872
212773
222773
232674
242773
252674
262674
272575
282575
292575
302476
312377

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Dambulla gets around 113 mm of rain over 18.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 59% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
166
266
366
466
566
666
766
866
965
1064
1163
1262
1360
1459
1558
1657
1756
1855
1954
2053
2153
2252
2352
2452
2552
2653
2753
2853
2953
3054
3154

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 93% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
13934
23925
33925
43916
53916
63916
73916
83907
93907
103907
113907
123907
133916
143916
152926
162935
172935
182944
192944
202953
212953
222953
232962
243952
253952
263961
273961
283961
293961
303961
313961

Wind in May

Winds average 15 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. Calmer and breezier days trade off through the month.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
812calm
912light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:566:13
212.35:566:13
312.35:566:13
412.35:556:13
512.35:556:13
612.35:556:13
712.35:556:13
812.35:546:13
912.35:546:13
1012.35:546:14
1112.35:546:14
1212.35:546:14
1312.35:536:14
1412.35:536:14
1512.45:536:14
1612.45:536:14
1712.45:536:15
1812.45:536:15
1912.45:536:15
2012.45:526:15
2112.45:526:15
2212.45:526:15
2312.45:526:16
2412.45:526:16
2512.45:526:16
2612.45:526:16
2712.45:526:16
2812.45:526:17
2912.45:526:17
3012.45:526:17
3112.45:526:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.79 kWh/m².

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 — May's 5.79 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Dambulla

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is May a good time to visit Dambulla?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dambulla.

What to pack for Dambulla in May

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

In May, Dambulla sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Dambulla in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May 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 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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