Ella weather in December

In December, Ella sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 221 mm of rain across 21.2 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 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Ella's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ella's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
11th warmest
Overnight low
19°
4th coldest
Rainfall
221 mm
21.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:14 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
77%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ella reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 26°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)
12519
22519
32519
42519
52519
62519
72519
82519
92519
102519
112519
122419
132419
142419
152419
162419
172419
182419
192419
202419
212418
222418
232418
242418
252418
262418
272418
282418
292418
302418
312418

Ella 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
Jan24° / 18°13115.711.65.9
Feb25° / 18°9313.311.86.1
Mar27° / 18°8412.7126.0
Apr28° / 20°17620.212.14.4
May29° / 21°14116.612.34.3
Jun30° / 22°539.912.44.7
Jul30° / 22°527.912.44.8
Aug30° / 21°711012.24.7
Sep30° / 21°12813.6124.5
Oct28° / 20°2772211.84.3
Nov25° / 19°2692411.74.3
Dec24° / 19°22121.211.65.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
32080
42080
52080
62080
72179
82179
92179
102080
112179
122179
132179
142278
152278
162377
172476
182476
192476
202575
212773
222773
232773
242773
252872
263070
273070
283169
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ella gets around 221 mm of rain over 21.2 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 77% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
277
376
475
575
675
774
874
974
1074
1173
1273
1373
1472
1572
1671
1770
1869
1968
2067
2166
2265
2364
2463
2561
2660
2759
2859
2958
3058
3158

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 74% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 74% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
101684
201684
311782
411782
511881
611980
711980
811980
912079
1022078
1122078
1222078
1322177
1422177
1522276
1622276
1732374
1832374
1932473
2042472
2142571
2242571
2352669
2462668
2562767
2672766
2772865
2882864
2982864
3092863
3192863

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 6:07 AM to 6:21 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)
111.66:075:44
211.66:075:45
311.66:085:45
411.66:085:45
511.66:095:46
611.66:095:46
711.66:105:46
811.66:105:47
911.66:105:47
1011.66:115:48
1111.66:115:48
1211.66:125:48
1311.66:125:49
1411.66:135:49
1511.66:135:50
1611.66:145:50
1711.66:145:51
1811.66:155:51
1911.66:155:51
2011.66:165:52
2111.66:165:52
2211.66:175:53
2311.66:175:53
2411.66:185:54
2511.66:185:54
2611.66:195:55
2711.66:195:55
2811.66:205:56
2911.66:205:56
3011.66:205:57
3111.66:215:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.94 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 3.94 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Moderate
54.0Moderate
64.0Moderate
74.0Moderate
84.0Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
173.9Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
264.0Moderate
274.0Moderate
284.0Bright
294.0Bright
304.0Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ella

In seasonPeak

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

Ella's rainy season runs September–January, 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 Ella?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Ella for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ella in December

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

In December, Ella sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Ella 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 Ella peaks around April 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 13UV 14Dec 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Ella 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 Ella is worst in November — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 27 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorNov 1847 µg/m³Jul 1327 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb36Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr44Poor
May36Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct41Poor
Nov48Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Ella?

Ella sits at 6.9°N, 81.0°E, 0 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Badulla, 12 km away.

Nuwara EliyaHattonKataragamaGampolaKandyRatnapuraMatale

Topography around Ella

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ella has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 902 m around an average of 1,030 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,848 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,505 m.

The land around Ella is covered by trees (76%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
902 m
16 km
1,848 m
80 km
2,505 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Badulla 12 km · Nuwara Eliya 31 km · Hatton 50 km · Kataragama 60 km · Gampola 62 km · Kandy 65 km · Ratnapura 74 km · Matale 81 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 Ella (6.8756°, 81.0463°, elevation 0 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).