Katunayaka weather in December

In December, Katunayaka sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 148 mm of rain across 14.3 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Katunayaka's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Katunayaka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
6th warmest
Overnight low
23°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
148 mm
14.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:19 AM – 5:54 PM
Cloud cover
69%
5th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Katunayaka is suburb in Western Province.

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 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Katunayaka reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and about 1°C cooler than January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13024
23024
33024
43024
53024
63024
73024
83024
93024
103024
113024
123024
133024
143023
153023
163023
173023
183023
193023
203023
213023
223023
233023
243023
253023
263023
273023
283023
293023
303023
313023

How December really feels in Katunayaka

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

Katunayaka weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°486.711.64.9
Feb32° / 24°486.611.84.1
Mar33° / 25°9115123.2
Apr32° / 25°18326.412.22.6
May30° / 26°23428.912.32.6
Jun29° / 26°25328.612.42.8
Jul29° / 25°23028.412.43.0
Aug29° / 25°20928.612.23.0
Sep29° / 25°23227.4123.0
Oct29° / 24°3412811.83.0
Nov30° / 24°29922.711.73.4
Dec30° / 23°14814.311.64.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% 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 66%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22773
32872
42872
52773
62773
72773
82773
92872
102872
112971
122971
132971
143070
153070
163169
173268
183268
193367
203565
213664
223763
233961
243961
254258
264357
274357
284654
294654
304753
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Katunayaka gets around 148 mm of rain over 14.3 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 46% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
157
256
355
454
553
653
752
852
952
1051
1151
1251
1350
1450
1549
1649
1748
1847
1946
2045
2144
2243
2341
2439
2538
2636
2734
2833
2931
3030
3129

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 70% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1087022
2097021
30107020
40107020
50117019
60117019
70127018
80127018
90127018
100127018
110127117
120127117
130127117
140127216
151137016
161137115
171137214
181147213
191157113
201157212
211167211
221177210
231197010
24120709
25121708
26122698
27223687
28224686
29225676
30226675
31326665

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3112calm

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 6:12 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 6:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:125:49
211.66:125:49
311.66:135:49
411.66:135:50
511.66:145:50
611.66:145:50
711.66:155:51
811.66:155:51
911.66:165:51
1011.66:165:52
1111.66:175:52
1211.66:175:52
1311.66:185:53
1411.66:185:53
1511.66:195:54
1611.66:195:54
1711.66:205:55
1811.66:205:55
1911.66:205:56
2011.66:215:56
2111.66:215:56
2211.66:225:57
2311.66:225:57
2411.66:235:58
2511.66:235:58
2611.66:245:59
2711.66:245:59
2811.66:256:00
2911.66:256:00
3011.66:266:01
3111.66:266:01

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.49 kWh/m² to a high of 6.27 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Katunayaka

In seasonPeak

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

Katunayaka 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 Katunayaka?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Katunayaka in December

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

In December, Katunayaka sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Katunayaka 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 offshore is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in August 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
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Katunayaka 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 Katunayaka peaks around February 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highFeb 17UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Katunayaka 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 Katunayaka 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 Katunayaka?

Katunayaka sits at 7.2°N, 79.9°E, 13 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Negombo, 7.0 km away.

Kelaniya

Topography around Katunayaka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Katunayaka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 70 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,145 m.

The land around Katunayaka is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (53%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
70 m
80 km
2,145 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Negombo 7.0 km · Ja Ela 11 km · Kandana 14 km · Welisara 16 km · Hendala 20 km · Wattala 20 km · Peliyagoda 22 km · Kelaniya 24 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 Katunayaka (7.1699°, 79.8884°, elevation 13 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).