Gampola weather in December

In December, Gampola sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 209 mm of rain across 16.7 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-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 14% 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 Gampola's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gampola's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
20°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
209 mm
16.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:16 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
73%
5th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Gampola is city in Central 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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Gampola reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°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 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12720
22720
32720
42720
52720
62720
72720
82720
92720
102720
112720
122720
132720
142720
152720
162720
172720
182720
192720
202720
212720
222720
232720
242720
252720
262720
272720
282720
292720
302720
312720

How December really feels in Gampola

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.

Gampola weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°82911.66.5
Feb29° / 20°848.211.85.8
Mar30° / 21°11812124.7
Apr30° / 21°25921.812.23.7
May28° / 22°15825.512.33.7
Jun27° / 22°13125.112.43.9
Jul27° / 22°13725.212.44.1
Aug27° / 22°12225.112.24.1
Sep27° / 21°13622.5124.3
Oct27° / 21°36025.411.84.0
Nov27° / 21°37222.511.74.3
Dec27° / 20°20916.711.65.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% 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 70%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32377
42476
52476
62476
72476
82476
92476
102575
112575
122575
132674
142674
152773
162773
172773
182971
193070
203169
213169
223466
233565
243565
253763
263862
273961
284060
294060
304258
314357

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Gampola gets around 209 mm of rain over 16.7 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 54% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
263
362
461
560
660
759
859
959
1059
1159
1258
1358
1458
1558
1657
1757
1856
1955
2054
2153
2251
2350
2448
2546
2644
2742
2841
2939
3038
3137

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 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 90% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1055243
2055342
3065341
4065539
5075439
6075538
7075637
8075637
9075736
10075736
11075835
12075835
13085834
14085834
15085933
16086032
17095932
18096031
190106030
200106129
211116028
221116226
231126225
241136224
251136323
261146322
271156321
281156519
291156519
301166518
312166517

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 6:09 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 5:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:095:46
211.66:105:46
311.66:105:46
411.66:105:47
511.66:115:47
611.66:115:47
711.66:125:48
811.66:125:48
911.66:135:49
1011.66:135:49
1111.66:145:49
1211.66:145:50
1311.66:155:50
1411.66:155:51
1511.66:165:51
1611.66:165:51
1711.66:175:52
1811.66:175:52
1911.66:185:53
2011.66:185:53
2111.66:195:54
2211.66:195:54
2311.66:205:55
2411.66:205:55
2511.66:215:56
2611.66:215:56
2711.66:215:57
2811.66:225:57
2911.66:225:58
3011.66:235:58
3111.66:235:59

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.12 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.12 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.12 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.1Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.0Bright
154.0Bright
164.0Bright
174.0Bright
184.0Bright
194.0Bright
204.0Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.1Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Gampola?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Gampola for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gampola in December

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

In December, Gampola sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Gampola 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 Gampola peaks around April 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 18UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Gampola 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 Gampola is worst in November — around 60 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.4× the cleanest month (July, 25 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorNov 1759 µg/m³Jul 2025 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan45Poor
Feb41Poor
Mar57Unhealthy
Apr59Unhealthy
May42Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct49Poor
Nov60Unhealthy
Dec52Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Gampola?

Gampola sits at 7.2°N, 80.6°E, 492 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kandy, 16 km away.

KegalleHattonNuwara EliyaMataleKurunegalaRatnapuraBadulla

Topography around Gampola

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gampola has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 586 m around an average of 576 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,628 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,505 m.

The land around Gampola is covered by trees (90%) within 3 km, trees (92%) within 16 km, and trees (89%) within 80 km.

3 km
586 m
16 km
1,628 m
80 km
2,505 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Kandy 16 km · Kegalle 27 km · Hatton 30 km · Nuwara Eliya 32 km · Matale 34 km · Kurunegala 42 km · Ratnapura 56 km · Badulla 58 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 Gampola (7.1643°, 80.5696°, elevation 492 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).