Kolonnawa weather in March

In March, Kolonnawa sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 94 mm of rain across 14.8 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Kolonnawa's 2nd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kolonnawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
1st warmest
Overnight low
25°
6th coldest
Rainfall
94 mm
14.8 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:22 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
55%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
6.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Kolonnawa is human settlement.

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month.

A typical March day in Kolonnawa reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 1°C warmer than April.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13324
23324
33324
43324
53324
63324
73324
83324
93324
103324
113324
123324
133325
143325
153325
163325
173325
183325
193325
203325
213325
223325
233325
243325
253325
263325
273325
283325
293325
303325
313325

How March really feels in Kolonnawa

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

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

Kolonnawa weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 1st-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°668.411.64.4
Feb33° / 24°658.611.83.8
Mar33° / 25°9414.8123.1
Apr32° / 25°19225.412.12.5
May31° / 26°26429.412.32.5
Jun30° / 25°27928.712.42.7
Jul29° / 25°24529.212.42.9
Aug29° / 25°21929.112.22.9
Sep29° / 25°24727.8122.9
Oct30° / 24°35928.211.82.9
Nov30° / 24°33723.911.73.2
Dec30° / 23°17816.111.64.1

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35941
45941
55941
65941
75941
85941
95941
106040
115941
125941
136040
146040
155941
165941
175941
185842
195842
205842
215743
225743
235743
245644
255545
265545
275446
285248
295248
305149
315050

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Kolonnawa gets around 94 mm of rain over 14.8 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 48% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
237
338
439
540
641
742
843
944
1045
1145
1246
1346
1446
1547
1647
1747
1848
1948
2049
2150
2251
2352
2453
2554
2656
2758
2860
2962
3064
3166

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March 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 (%)
1420697
2320707
3319708
4318709
5217729
62167210
72157211
81147312
91147213
101137313
111127314
121117315
130107515
14097516
15097516
16087517
17077518
18077419
19067420
20057322
21057223
22047224
23047026
24036928
25036730
26026731
27026533
28016435
29016237
30015940
31015742

Wind in March

Winds average 6 km/h in March, the calmest month.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
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 March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 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 12 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:28 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 6:19 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:286:19
211.96:286:19
311.96:276:19
411.96:276:19
511.96:266:19
611.96:266:19
711.96:266:19
811.96:256:19
911.96:256:19
1011.96:246:19
1111.96:246:19
1211.96:236:19
1311.96:236:19
1411.96:226:19
1511.96:226:19
1612.06:226:19
1712.06:216:19
1812.06:216:18
1912.06:206:18
2012.06:206:18
2112.06:196:18
2212.06:196:18
2312.06:186:18
2412.06:186:18
2512.06:176:18
2612.06:166:18
2712.06:166:17
2812.06:156:17
2912.06:156:17
3012.06:146:17
3112.16:146:17

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.15 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in March across the year — March's 6.15 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Kolonnawa

In seasonPeak

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

Kolonnawa 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 March a good time to visit Kolonnawa?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kolonnawa.

What to pack for Kolonnawa in March

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

In March, Kolonnawa sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kolonnawa in March

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in March — 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 Kolonnawa in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 Kolonnawa peaks around September 10 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 highSep 10UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Kolonnawa 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 Kolonnawa is worst in January — around 84 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.8× the cleanest month (July, 29 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1483 µg/m³Jul 2129 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan84Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar73Unhealthy
Apr62Unhealthy
May44Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep35Poor
Oct52Poor
Nov74Unhealthy
Dec81Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kolonnawa?

Kolonnawa sits at 6.9°N, 79.9°E, 20 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kotikawatta, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Kolonnawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kolonnawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,060 m.

The land around Kolonnawa is covered by artificial surfaces (73%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, water (39%), trees (32%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
30 m
16 km
135 m
80 km
2,060 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Kotikawatta 3.0 km · Peliyagoda 4.0 km · Colombo 4.0 km · Kelaniya 5.0 km · Mulleriyawa 5.0 km · Pita Kotte 5.0 km · Battaramulla South 5.0 km · Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte 6.0 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 Kolonnawa (6.9329°, 79.8848°, elevation 20 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).