Matara weather in May

In May, Matara sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 224 mm of rain across 28.2 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Matara's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
224 mm
28.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:56 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
79%
8th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Matara is city in Southern, 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 29°C through the month.

A typical May day in Matara reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13025
23025
33025
43025
53026
63026
73026
83026
93026
103026
113026
123026
133026
143026
153026
162926
172926
182926
192926
202926
212926
222926
232926
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How May really feels in Matara

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.

Matara weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 23°9714.311.74.7
Feb30° / 24°7812.511.84.5
Mar31° / 25°9918123.9
Apr30° / 25°18225.512.13.1
May29° / 26°22428.212.33.0
Jun29° / 25°18726.912.33.2
Jul28° / 25°15926.812.33.4
Aug28° / 25°1592712.23.4
Sep28° / 25°19626.2123.4
Oct29° / 24°25026.611.93.4
Nov29° / 24°29625.411.73.4
Dec29° / 24°19921.411.74.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 5% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22674
32674
42674
52476
62476
72377
82377
92377
102377
112377
122377
132377
142377
152377
162278
172278
182278
192179
202179
212179
222080
231981
241882
251882
261783
271684
281684
291486
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Matara gets around 224 mm of rain over 28.2 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 91% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
189
289
388
488
588
688
788
889
989
1089
1189
1289
1389
1490
1590
1690
1791
1891
1992
2092
2192
2293
2393
2494
2594
2694
2794
2894
2994
3094
3194

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 96% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1595
2595
3496
4496
5496
6496
7496
8397
9397
10397
11397
12397
13397
14397
15397
16397
17397
18397
19397
20397
21496
22496
23496
24595
25595
26595
27694
28694
29793
30892
31892

Wind in May

Winds average 16 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212light breeze
312light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of May to 12 h 18 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 5:59 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:596:11
212.25:596:11
312.25:586:11
412.25:586:11
512.25:586:11
612.25:586:11
712.25:576:11
812.25:576:11
912.25:576:12
1012.25:576:12
1112.35:576:12
1212.35:576:12
1312.35:566:12
1412.35:566:12
1512.35:566:12
1612.35:566:12
1712.35:566:12
1812.35:566:12
1912.35:566:13
2012.35:566:13
2112.35:566:13
2212.35:566:13
2312.35:566:13
2412.35:566:13
2512.35:566:14
2612.35:566:14
2712.35:566:14
2812.35:566:14
2912.35:566:14
3012.35:566:15
3112.35:566:15

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 4.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.48 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
35.5Bright
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
195.4Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Matara

In seasonPeak

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

Matara 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 Matara?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Matara.

What to pack for Matara in May

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

In May, Matara sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Matara 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 13 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in July near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Matara 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 Matara peaks around April 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 17UV 14Jan 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Matara 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 Matara is worst in January — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (September, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 1834 µg/m³Sep 1316 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan35Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Matara?

Matara sits at 5.9°N, 80.5°E, 9 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Devinuwara, 6.0 km away.

BeliattaUnawatunaGalleAmbalantotaAmbalangoda

Topography around Matara

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Matara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,507 m.

The land around Matara is covered by trees (39%) and water (32%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (41%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
69 m
16 km
236 m
80 km
1,507 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
May weather nearby: Devinuwara 6.0 km · Mirissa 9.0 km · Weligama 12 km · Beliatta 25 km · Unawatuna 33 km · Galle 38 km · Ambalantota 57 km · Ambalangoda 62 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 Matara (5.9485°, 80.5353°, elevation 9 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).