Kandy weather in March

In March, Kandy sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 83 mm of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 29°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in March, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Kandy's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kandy's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
19°
4th coldest
Rainfall
83 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:19 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
54%
1st clearest
Wind
5 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 29°C by the end.

A typical March day in Kandy reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C warmer than February and on par with April.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12718
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112719
122819
132819
142819
152819
162819
172819
182819
192819
202819
212819
222819
232919
242919
252919
262919
272919
282919
292919
302919
312920

Kandy weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in March, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25248
35248
45248
55248
65347
75347
85347
95446
105446
115446
125446
135545
145545
155545
165743
175743
185743
195743
205743
215743
225743
235644
245644
255644
265545
275446
285347
295248
305050
314852

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Kandy gets around 83 mm of rain over 10.9 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 36% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
237
337
437
537
637
737
837
937
1037
1136
1235
1335
1434
1533
1633
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2333
2434
2535
2636
2738
2840
2942
3044
3147

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the muggy band about 54% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 55% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
141230540
241230540
341229550
441129560
541129560
641129560
741129560
841129560
941129560
1041129560
1141229550
1241229550
1341230540
1431330540
1531331530
1631331530
1731332520
1831333510
1931333510
2031333510
2131334500
2231334500
2331234510
2431233520
2531233520
2631132540
2731131550
2821029581
2921028591
302926621
312824651

Wind in March

Winds average 5 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 4 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
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:25 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:256:16
211.96:256:16
311.96:246:16
411.96:246:16
511.96:246:16
611.96:236:16
711.96:236:16
811.96:226:16
911.96:226:16
1011.96:216:16
1111.96:216:16
1211.96:216:16
1311.96:206:16
1411.96:206:16
1511.96:196:16
1612.06:196:16
1712.06:186:16
1812.06:186:15
1912.06:176:15
2012.06:176:15
2112.06:166:15
2212.06:166:15
2312.06:156:15
2412.06:156:15
2512.06:146:15
2612.06:136:15
2712.06:136:14
2812.06:126:14
2912.06:126:14
3012.06:116:14
3112.16:116:14

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.28 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — March's 6.28 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Kandy

In seasonPeak

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

Kandy's rainy season runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Kandy?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Kandy in March

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

In March, Kandy sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Kandy in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March 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
March 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).