Matale weather in March

In March, Matale sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 83 mm of rain across 11.6 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Matale's 1st-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
1st warmest
Overnight low
22°
5th coldest
Rainfall
83 mm
11.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:19 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
53%
1st clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month.

A typical March day in Matale reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C warmer than February and on par with April.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13121
23221
33221
43221
53221
63222
73222
83222
93222
103222
113222
123222
133222
143222
153222
163222
173322
183322
193322
203322
213322
223322
233322
243322
253322
263322
273322
283322
293322
303322
313322

How March really feels in Matale

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
heat index over the day's high
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.

Matale 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
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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in March, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35941
45842
55842
65941
76040
85941
95941
105941
116040
126040
136040
146040
156040
166139
176139
186040
196040
206139
216139
225941
235941
245941
255941
265743
275743
285644
295446
305347
315248

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Matale gets around 83 mm of rain over 11.6 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 38% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
330
431
531
632
733
833
934
1034
1134
1235
1335
1435
1535
1635
1735
1836
1937
2037
2138
2239
2340
2441
2543
2645
2746
2848
2951
3053
3155

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 53% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 90% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
12174041
22174041
32173942
42163943
52163944
62153845
71153845
81143846
91133847
101123947
111113948
121114048
131104148
14194149
15184249
16184250
17174250
18174151
19164152
20064054
21063955
22063856
23053659
24053560
25053362
26043264
27043066
28042868
29032572
30032374
31032176

Wind in March

Winds average 6 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 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 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:25 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:256:16
211.96:256:16
311.96:256:16
411.96:246:16
511.96:246:16
611.96:236:16
711.96:236:16
811.96:226:16
911.96:226:16
1011.96:226:16
1111.96:216:16
1211.96:216:16
1311.96:206:16
1411.96:206:16
1511.96:196:16
1611.96:196:16
1712.06:186:16
1812.06:186:15
1912.06:176:15
2012.06:176:15
2112.06:166:15
2212.06:166:15
2312.06:156:15
2412.06:156:15
2512.06:146:15
2612.06:146:15
2712.06:136:15
2812.06:126:14
2912.06:126:14
3012.06:116:14
3112.16:116:14

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.3 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — March's 6.3 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Matale

In seasonPeak

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

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 March a good time to visit Matale?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Matale. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Matale in March

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

In March, Matale sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Matale in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 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 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 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
March 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).