Katunayaka weather in May

In May, Katunayaka sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 234 mm of rain across 28.9 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 2% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Katunayaka's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Katunayaka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
5th warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
234 mm
28.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:57 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
81%
8th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Katunayaka is suburb in Western Province.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical May day in Katunayaka reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13126
23126
33126
43126
53126
63126
73126
83126
93126
103126
113126
123126
133126
143126
153126
163026
173026
183026
193026
203026
213026
223026
233026
243026
253026
263026
273026
283026
293026
303026
313026

How May really feels in Katunayaka

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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
4 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Katunayaka weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32377
42377
52278
62278
72278
82179
92080
102080
112080
122080
131981
141981
151981
161882
171882
181783
191783
201783
211684
221684
231585
241585
251486
261486
271387
281387
291189
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Katunayaka gets around 234 mm of rain over 28.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 93% and peaks near 96% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
192
292
392
492
592
691
791
891
991
1091
1191
1291
1392
1492
1592
1692
1793
1893
1993
2094
2194
2294
2395
2495
2595
2695
2796
2896
2996
3096
3196

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 98% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1298
2298
3298
4298
5298
6298
7298
8298
9298
10298
11298
12298
13298
14298
15298
16298
17298
18199
19199
20199
21199
22199
23199
24199
25199
26199
27298
28298
29298
30298
31397

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:006:15
212.36:006:15
312.36:006:15
412.35:596:15
512.35:596:15
612.35:596:15
712.35:596:15
812.35:586:16
912.35:586:16
1012.35:586:16
1112.35:586:16
1212.35:586:16
1312.35:576:16
1412.35:576:16
1512.35:576:16
1612.35:576:16
1712.35:576:17
1812.35:576:17
1912.35:576:17
2012.35:576:17
2112.35:566:17
2212.45:566:17
2312.45:566:18
2412.45:566:18
2512.45:566:18
2612.45:566:18
2712.45:566:18
2812.45:566:19
2912.45:566:19
3012.45:566:19
3112.45:566:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.8 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 — May's 4.8 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Katunayaka

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Katunayaka?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Katunayaka.

What to pack for Katunayaka in May

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

In May, Katunayaka sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Katunayaka in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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