Matale weather in May

In May, Matale sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 130 mm of rain across 22.4 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-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 6% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Matale's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
4th warmest
Overnight low
24°
12th coldest
Rainfall
130 mm
22.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:54 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
77%
6th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
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 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 Matale reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 32°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)
13123
23123
33123
43123
53123
63123
73123
83023
93024
103024
113024
123024
133024
143024
153024
163024
173024
183024
193024
203024
213024
223024
233024
243024
253024
263024
273024
283024
293024
302924
312924

How May really feels in Matale

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.

Matale weather by month

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

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% 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 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22872
32872
42773
52773
62773
72773
82674
92674
102575
112575
122575
132476
142476
152377
162377
172278
182278
192278
202179
212080
222080
231981
241981
251981
261882
271783
281783
291783
301684
311585

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Matale gets around 130 mm of rain over 22.4 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 72% and peaks near 75% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
274
374
475
575
675
775
875
975
1075
1175
1274
1374
1473
1572
1671
1771
1870
1969
2069
2168
2268
2368
2468
2569
2669
2770
2870
2971
3072
3173

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11918
21909
31909
418910
518910
618811
718811
818811
918811
1018811
1118811
1218811
1318811
1418910
1518910
1618910
171909
181909
191918
201918
211927
221927
231927
241936
251936
261936
271945
281945
291954
301954
311963

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
18calm
28calm
38calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light 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 5:57 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:576:12
212.35:576:13
312.35:566:13
412.35:566:13
512.35:566:13
612.35:566:13
712.35:556:13
812.35:556:13
912.35:556:13
1012.35:556:13
1112.35:546:13
1212.35:546:13
1312.35:546:14
1412.35:546:14
1512.35:546:14
1612.35:546:14
1712.35:536:14
1812.35:536:14
1912.45:536:14
2012.45:536:15
2112.45:536:15
2212.45:536:15
2312.45:536:15
2412.45:536:15
2512.45:536:16
2612.45:536:16
2712.45:536:16
2812.45:536:16
2912.45:536:16
3012.45:536:17
3112.45:536:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.36 kWh/m².

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 — May's 5.36 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Matale

In seasonPeak

None of Matale's seasonal hazards are active in May. 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 May a good time to visit Matale?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Matale.

What to pack for Matale in May

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

In May, Matale sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Matale in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 14 (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 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 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
May 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).