Kandy weather in December

In December, Kandy sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 214 mm of rain across 20.8 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 7% 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 Kandy's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kandy's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
11th warmest
Overnight low
19°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
214 mm
20.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:16 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
79%
7th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Kandy is capital city in Central Province, Sri Lanka.

Density
3,915/km²
people per km²
Founded
1350

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 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Kandy 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 22°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
92419
102419
112419
122419
132419
142419
152419
162419
172419
182419
192419
202419
212419
222419
232418
242418
252418
262418
272418
282418
292418
302418
312418

Kandy 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°11014.411.66.1
Feb26° / 18°861111.86.4
Mar28° / 19°8310.9126.0
Apr28° / 20°17118.312.24.6
May28° / 21°1252012.34.5
Jun27° / 21°7917.412.45.0
Jul27° / 21°8318.312.45.0
Aug27° / 20°9018.112.25.0
Sep27° / 20°12119.2124.9
Oct27° / 20°2572311.84.4
Nov25° / 19°27423.711.74.3
Dec24° / 19°21420.811.65.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, 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 (%)
11783
21882
31882
41882
51882
61981
71981
81981
91981
101981
112080
122080
132080
142080
152179
162179
172179
182179
192278
202278
212278
222377
232476
242476
252476
262575
272674
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kandy gets around 214 mm of rain over 20.8 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 67% and peaks near 75% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
175
274
374
473
572
672
772
872
972
1072
1172
1271
1371
1471
1570
1670
1769
1869
1968
2067
2166
2264
2363
2462
2560
2659
2758
2857
2956
3056
3155

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 77% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 77% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1114841
2115831
3116821
4117811
5117811
6118801
7118801
8119791
9119791
10119791
11119791
12119791
13119791
14119791
15119791
16119791
17220780
18220780
19220780
20320770
21321760
22321760
23422740
24423730
25524710
26524710
27525700
28626680
29626680
30626680
31627670

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 5:45 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:095:45
211.66:095:46
311.66:105:46
411.66:105:46
511.66:115:47
611.66:115:47
711.66:125:47
811.66:125:48
911.66:135:48
1011.66:135:48
1111.66:145:49
1211.66:145:49
1311.66:155:50
1411.66:155:50
1511.66:165:51
1611.66:165:51
1711.66:175:51
1811.66:175:52
1911.66:185:52
2011.66:185:53
2111.66:195:53
2211.66:195:54
2311.66:205:54
2411.66:205:55
2511.66:215:55
2611.66:215:56
2711.66:215:56
2811.66:225:57
2911.66:225:57
3011.66:235:58
3111.66:235:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.88 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.28 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 3.88 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Moderate
54.0Moderate
64.0Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.8Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.8Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.8Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
294.0Moderate
304.0Moderate
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kandy

In seasonPeak

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

Kandy's rainy season runs April–May, 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 Kandy?

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 Kandy for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kandy in December

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

In December, Kandy 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 Kandy in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kandy peaks around April 16 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 16UV 14Dec 17UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Kandy 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 Kandy 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 Kandy?

Kandy sits at 7.3°N, 80.6°E, 500 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Gampola, 16 km away.

KegalleKurunegalaNuwara EliyaHattonBadullaDambulla

Topography around Kandy

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kandy has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 562 m around an average of 566 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,298 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,498 m.

The land around Kandy is covered by trees (78%) within 3 km, trees (91%) within 16 km, and trees (87%) within 80 km.

3 km
562 m
16 km
1,298 m
80 km
2,498 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Gampola 16 km · Matale 20 km · Kegalle 32 km · Kurunegala 36 km · Nuwara Eliya 39 km · Hatton 45 km · Badulla 58 km · Dambulla 63 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 Kandy (7.2906°, 80.6336°, elevation 500 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).