Kurunegala weather in May

In May, Kurunegala sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 174 mm of rain across 27.2 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 30°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kurunegala's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kurunegala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
4th warmest
Overnight low
25°
12th coldest
Rainfall
174 mm
27.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:55 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
79%
6th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.7
out of 10

Kurunegala is human settlement.

Density
2,597/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 32°C in the first days to 30°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kurunegala reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13225
23225
33225
43225
53225
63225
73225
83125
93125
103125
113125
123125
133125
143125
153125
163125
173125
183125
193125
203125
213125
223125
233125
243125
253025
263025
273025
283025
293025
303025
313025

How May really feels in Kurunegala

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
heat index over the day's high
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.

Kurunegala weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°506.111.65.1
Feb33° / 23°455.811.84.1
Mar34° / 24°701111.92.9
Apr33° / 24°17421.812.22.5
May31° / 25°17427.212.32.7
Jun30° / 25°16727.312.42.9
Jul29° / 24°14726.512.43.2
Aug29° / 24°14126.412.23.2
Sep30° / 24°15924.8123.2
Oct30° / 23°3192711.83.0
Nov30° / 23°27221.611.73.5
Dec30° / 23°14314.311.64.6

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42872
52872
62674
72674
82674
92476
102476
112476
122377
132377
142278
152278
162179
172179
182080
192080
201981
211981
221882
231882
241783
251684
261585
271585
281486
291486
301387
311288

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kurunegala gets around 174 mm of rain over 27.2 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 87% and peaks near 92% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
184
285
385
486
586
687
787
887
987
1087
1187
1287
1387
1486
1586
1686
1786
1886
1986
2086
2187
2287
2387
2488
2588
2689
2790
2890
2991
3091
3192

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 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
14159
23961
33862
43664
53565
63466
73367
83268
93169
103169
113169
123070
133070
142971
152971
162971
172971
182971
193070
203070
213169
223268
233268
243367
253466
263466
273565
283664
293763
303763
313862

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

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 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 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:58 AM to 5:54 AM, and sunset from 6:14 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:586:14
212.35:586:14
312.35:576:14
412.35:576:14
512.35:576:14
612.35:576:14
712.35:566:14
812.35:566:14
912.35:566:14
1012.35:566:14
1112.35:556:14
1212.35:556:14
1312.35:556:15
1412.35:556:15
1512.35:556:15
1612.35:556:15
1712.35:546:15
1812.35:546:15
1912.45:546:15
2012.45:546:16
2112.45:546:16
2212.45:546:16
2312.45:546:16
2412.45:546:16
2512.45:546:17
2612.45:546:17
2712.45:546:17
2812.45:546:17
2912.45:546:17
3012.45:546:18
3112.45:546:18

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.01 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kurunegala

In seasonPeak

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

Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala?

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

2.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kurunegala.

What to pack for Kurunegala in May

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

In May, Kurunegala sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kurunegala 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 at the nearest coast (about 56 km away) 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 Kurunegala in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kurunegala peaks around April 18 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 highApr 18UV 14Dec 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala?

Kurunegala sits at 7.5°N, 80.4°E, 146 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kegalle, 26 km away.

KegalleMataleKandyGampolaDambullaKatunayakaChilawNegombo

Topography around Kurunegala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kurunegala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 211 m around an average of 134 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 749 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,500 m.

The land around Kurunegala is covered by trees (68%) within 3 km, trees (84%) within 16 km, and trees (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
211 m
16 km
749 m
80 km
2,500 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Kegalle 26 km · Matale 28 km · Kandy 36 km · Gampola 42 km · Dambulla 52 km · Katunayaka 63 km · Chilaw 64 km · Negombo 66 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 Kurunegala (7.4839°, 80.3683°, elevation 146 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).