Galle weather in December

In December, Galle sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 148 mm of rain across 18.7 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-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 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of December to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Galle's 5th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Galle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
7th warmest
Overnight low
25°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
148 mm
18.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:16 AM – 5:55 PM
Cloud cover
69%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Galle is city in Southern Province, Sri Lanka.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Galle reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

How December really feels in Galle

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.

Galle weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°6312.211.76.0
Feb28° / 25°5010.111.85.8
Mar29° / 26°6513.7125.2
Apr29° / 26°14722.712.13.9
May29° / 26°27928.412.33.3
Jun28° / 26°24427.512.33.5
Jul28° / 26°21527.512.33.7
Aug27° / 26°20627.412.23.8
Sep28° / 26°24026.5123.8
Oct28° / 25°26326.511.93.9
Nov28° / 25°25023.511.74.2
Dec28° / 25°14818.711.75.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43664
53565
63664
73565
83565
93565
103565
113565
123565
133466
143466
153565
163565
173565
183565
193664
203664
213763
223862
233961
243961
254060
264159
274159
284456
294456
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Galle gets around 148 mm of rain over 18.7 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 61% and peaks near 70% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
170
269
368
467
567
666
766
865
965
1065
1165
1265
1364
1464
1564
1663
1763
1862
1961
2060
2159
2258
2357
2455
2554
2653
2751
2850
2949
3048
3147

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 92% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12908
22908
32908
42908
52908
62908
72917
81927
91927
101927
111936
121936
131936
142935
152935
162935
172944
182944
193934
203943
214933
224933
235932
245932
255932
266922
276922
286922
297912
307912
317912

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 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of December to 11 h 42 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 6:09 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:095:49
211.76:095:49
311.76:105:50
411.76:105:50
511.76:115:50
611.76:115:51
711.76:115:51
811.76:125:52
911.76:125:52
1011.76:135:52
1111.76:135:53
1211.76:145:53
1311.76:145:54
1411.76:155:54
1511.76:155:54
1611.76:165:55
1711.76:165:55
1811.66:175:56
1911.66:175:56
2011.66:185:57
2111.66:185:57
2211.66:195:58
2311.66:195:58
2411.66:205:59
2511.66:205:59
2611.66:216:00
2711.76:216:00
2811.76:216:00
2911.76:226:01
3011.76:226:01
3111.76:236:02

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.45 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.94 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Galle

In seasonPeak

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

Galle 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 December a good time to visit Galle?

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
5.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Galle for sightseeing.

What to pack for Galle in December

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

In December, Galle sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Galle in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in July near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Galle 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 Galle peaks around April 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 17UV 14Jan 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Galle 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 Galle is worst in January — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (September, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 1834 µg/m³Sep 1316 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan35Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Galle?

Galle sits at 6.0°N, 80.2°E, 24 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Unawatuna, 5.0 km away.

WeligamaAmbalangodaMirissaMataraDevinuwaraBentotaBeruwala

Topography around Galle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Galle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 61 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,357 m.

The land around Galle is covered by trees (49%) and water (32%) within 3 km, water (51%) and trees (45%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and water (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
61 m
16 km
217 m
80 km
1,357 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Unawatuna 5.0 km · Weligama 26 km · Ambalangoda 27 km · Mirissa 30 km · Matara 38 km · Devinuwara 44 km · Bentota 48 km · Beruwala 54 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 Galle (6.0461°, 80.2103°, elevation 24 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).