Matale weather in December

In December, Matale sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 185 mm of rain across 17.8 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% 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 Matale's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
21°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
185 mm
17.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:17 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
74%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Matale is Administrative Capital in Central Province, Sri Lanka.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Matale reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 7°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, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12822
22822
32822
42822
52822
62822
72822
82822
92822
102822
112822
122822
132822
142822
152821
162821
172821
182821
192821
202821
212821
222821
232821
242821
252821
262821
272821
282821
292821
302821
312821

How December really feels in Matale

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Matale weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 21°791011.65.6
Feb30° / 21°638.511.85.0
Mar32° / 22°8311.611.93.8
Apr32° / 23°1962112.23.1
May30° / 24°13022.412.33.4
Jun29° / 23°9923.812.43.5
Jul29° / 23°10324.312.43.6
Aug29° / 23°9823.212.23.8
Sep29° / 23°10921.2123.8
Oct29° / 22°31225.211.83.5
Nov29° / 22°31022.711.73.8
Dec28° / 21°18517.811.64.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32278
42278
52377
62278
72278
82278
92377
102476
112476
122476
132476
142575
152674
162674
172773
182773
192971
203169
213268
223367
233466
243466
253664
263763
273763
283862
294060
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Matale gets around 185 mm of rain over 17.8 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 58% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
264
363
462
561
661
761
861
961
1061
1161
1261
1362
1462
1562
1662
1762
1861
1961
2060
2158
2257
2355
2453
2552
2650
2748
2846
2945
3044
3143

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 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
112178
212277
322375
422474
522573
622573
722672
832671
932671
1032671
1132671
1232671
1332671
1432671
1542670
1642670
1742670
1842769
1952768
2052867
2162965
2263064
2363163
2473261
2573459
2683557
2783656
2893754
2993853
3093952
3193952

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 6:09 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:095:45
211.66:105:45
311.66:105:46
411.66:115:46
511.66:115:46
611.66:125:47
711.66:125:47
811.66:135:47
911.66:135:48
1011.66:145:48
1111.66:145:49
1211.66:155:49
1311.66:155:49
1411.66:165:50
1511.66:165:50
1611.66:175:51
1711.66:175:51
1811.66:185:52
1911.66:185:52
2011.66:195:53
2111.66:195:53
2211.66:205:53
2311.66:205:54
2411.66:205:54
2511.66:215:55
2611.66:215:55
2711.66:225:56
2811.66:225:56
2911.66:235:57
3011.66:235:57
3111.66:245:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.05 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.05 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.1Bright
44.1Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.0Moderate
154.0Moderate
164.0Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Moderate
204.0Moderate
214.0Moderate
224.0Bright
234.0Bright
244.0Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Matale

In seasonPeak

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

Matale'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 December a good time to visit Matale?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Matale for sightseeing.

What to pack for Matale in December

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

In December, Matale sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Matale 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 Matale peaks around April 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 19UV 14Dec 19UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Matale 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 Matale 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 Matale?

Matale sits at 7.5°N, 80.6°E, 366 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kandy, 20 km away.

KurunegalaGampolaKegalleDambullaSigiriyaNuwara EliyaHatton

Topography around Matale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Matale has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 876 m around an average of 471 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,752 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,502 m.

The land around Matale is covered by trees (88%) within 3 km, trees (94%) within 16 km, and trees (83%) within 80 km.

3 km
876 m
16 km
1,752 m
80 km
2,502 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Kandy 20 km · Kurunegala 28 km · Gampola 34 km · Kegalle 39 km · Dambulla 44 km · Sigiriya 55 km · Nuwara Eliya 58 km · Hatton 64 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 Matale (7.4698°, 80.6217°, elevation 366 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).