Jaffna weather in August

In August, Jaffna sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 28°C, with 48 mm of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in August, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of August to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Jaffna's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jaffna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
5th warmest
Overnight low
28°
8th coldest
Rainfall
48 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:04 AM – 6:24 PM
Cloud cover
77%
10th clearest
Wind
26 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Jaffna is capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

Density
8,371/km²
people per km²
Founded
1621

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical August day in Jaffna reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 28°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

25°28°30°33°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12928
22928
32928
42928
52928
62928
72928
82928
92928
102928
112928
122928
132928
142928
152928
162928
172928
182928
192927
202927
212927
222927
232927
242927
252927
262927
272927
282927
292927
302927
312927

How August really feels in Jaffna

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

Jaffna weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 25°626.711.57.0
Feb28° / 25°254.211.77.4
Mar29° / 26°223.411.96.5
Apr30° / 28°457.712.25.2
May30° / 28°587.612.45.0
Jun30° / 28°275.512.65.2
Jul30° / 28°339.212.54.9
Aug29° / 28°4810.512.35.0
Sep29° / 27°671212.14.9
Oct29° / 27°20820.911.84.2
Nov28° / 26°3132211.64.5
Dec27° / 25°20016.311.45.5

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11684
21783
31783
41783
51882
61882
71981
81981
91981
102080
112080
122080
132080
142080
152278
162278
172278
182278
192278
202377
212476
222575
232575
242674
252773
262872
272872
282872
292872
302872
313070

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Jaffna gets around 48 mm of rain over 10.5 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
428
529
629
730
831
932
1032
1133
1234
1335
1436
1536
1637
1737
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2337
2437
2536
2636
2736
2835
2935
3035
3135

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the miserable band about 95% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1694
2694
3694
4694
5694
6694
7694
8694
9694
10694
11694
12694
13694
14694
15694
16595
17595
18595
19595
20595
21496
22496
23496
24496
25496
26496
27496
28496
29496
30595
31595

Wind in August

Winds average 26 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 25 km/h on the calmest days to 27 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
127breezy
227breezy
327breezy
427breezy
526breezy
626breezy
726breezy
826breezy
926breezy
1026breezy
1126breezy
1226breezy
1326breezy
1425breezy
1525breezy
1625breezy
1725breezy
1825breezy
1925breezy
2025breezy
2125breezy
2225breezy
2325breezy
2425breezy
2525breezy
2625breezy
2725breezy
2825breezy
2926breezy
3026breezy
3126breezy

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:03 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:036:29
212.46:036:29
312.46:036:28
412.46:046:28
512.46:046:28
612.46:046:27
712.46:046:27
812.46:046:27
912.46:046:26
1012.46:046:26
1112.46:046:26
1212.46:046:25
1312.36:046:25
1412.36:046:25
1512.36:046:24
1612.36:046:24
1712.36:046:23
1812.36:046:23
1912.36:046:22
2012.36:046:22
2112.36:046:21
2212.36:046:21
2312.36:046:20
2412.36:046:20
2512.26:046:19
2612.26:046:19
2712.26:046:18
2812.26:046:18
2912.26:046:17
3012.26:046:16
3112.26:046:16

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 5.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.22 kWh/m² to a high of 6.58 kWh/m² in March across the year — August's 5.88 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Jaffna

In seasonPeak

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

Jaffna sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Jaffna's monsoon runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Jaffna?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Jaffna for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Jaffna in August

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

In August, Jaffna sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 28°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Jaffna in August

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Jaffna in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Jaffna peaks around August 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highAug 17UV 13Jan 11UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Jaffna in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Jaffna is worst in May — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 1623 µg/m³Sep 1817 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Jaffna?

Jaffna sits at 9.7°N, 80.0°E, 7 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Valvedditturai, 24 km away.

ValvedditturaiPoint PedroMannarMullaittivuVavuniyaAnuradhapuraTrincomaleePuttalam

Topography around Jaffna

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Jaffna has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 22 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 99 m.

The land around Jaffna is covered by water (45%), trees (26%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and water (77%) within 80 km.

3 km
16 m
16 km
22 m
80 km
99 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
August weather nearby: Valvedditturai 24 km · Point Pedro 30 km · Mannar 77 km · Mullaittivu 99 km · Vavuniya 115 km · Anuradhapura 157 km · Trincomalee 181 km · Puttalam 183 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 Jaffna (9.6684°, 80.0074°, elevation 7 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).