Moratuwa weather in May

In May, Moratuwa sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 289 mm of rain across 29.9 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-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 2% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Moratuwa's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Moratuwa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
12th coldest
Rainfall
289 mm
29.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:57 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
82%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Moratuwa is human settlement.

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 Moratuwa reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 1°C warmer than June.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13125
23125
33125
43125
53125
63125
73125
83125
93125
103125
113125
123026
133026
143026
153026
163026
173026
183026
193026
203026
213026
223026
233026
243026
253026
263026
273026
283026
293026
303025
313025

How May really feels in Moratuwa

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.

Moratuwa weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°9411.111.74.4
Feb32° / 24°8510.711.84.1
Mar32° / 24°10516.9123.4
Apr32° / 25°20826.612.12.6
May30° / 25°28929.912.32.6
Jun29° / 25°28329.112.42.8
Jul29° / 25°24329.312.42.9
Aug29° / 25°22429.312.23.0
Sep29° / 25°25828123.0
Oct29° / 24°35728.111.83.0
Nov30° / 24°36824.611.73.2
Dec30° / 23°21419.211.63.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
21981
31981
41981
51882
61783
71684
81684
91684
101585
111585
121585
131486
141486
151387
161486
171486
181486
191387
201387
211387
221387
231189
241189
251189
261090
271090
281090
29991
30991
31991

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Moratuwa gets around 289 mm of rain over 29.9 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 96% and peaks near 98% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
195
295
395
495
595
695
795
895
995
1095
1196
1296
1396
1496
1596
1696
1796
1897
1997
2097
2197
2297
2397
2497
2597
2697
2798
2898
2998
3098
3197

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 98% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1496
2496
3397
4397
5397
6298
7298
8298
9298
10298
11298
12298
13298
14298
15298
16298
17298
18298
19298
20298
21298
22298
23298
24298
25298
26298
27397
28397
29397
30397
31496

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 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 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:01 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:016:15
212.26:006:15
312.26:006:15
412.36:006:15
512.36:006:15
612.35:596:15
712.35:596:15
812.35:596:15
912.35:596:15
1012.35:586:15
1112.35:586:15
1212.35:586:15
1312.35:586:16
1412.35:586:16
1512.35:586:16
1612.35:576:16
1712.35:576:16
1812.35:576:16
1912.35:576:16
2012.35:576:17
2112.35:576:17
2212.35:576:17
2312.35:576:17
2412.35:576:17
2512.35:576:17
2612.35:576:18
2712.35:576:18
2812.45:576:18
2912.45:576:18
3012.45:576:18
3112.45:576:19

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.41 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 4.59 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Moratuwa

In seasonPeak

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

Moratuwa 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 Moratuwa?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Moratuwa.

What to pack for Moratuwa in May

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

In May, Moratuwa sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Moratuwa 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 offshore 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 Moratuwa in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Moratuwa peaks around September 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 highSep 10UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Moratuwa 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 Moratuwa is worst in January — around 84 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.8× the cleanest month (July, 29 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1483 µg/m³Jul 2129 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan84Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar73Unhealthy
Apr62Unhealthy
May44Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep35Poor
Oct52Poor
Nov74Unhealthy
Dec81Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Moratuwa?

Moratuwa sits at 6.8°N, 79.9°E, 10 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Panadura, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Moratuwa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Moratuwa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 113 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,060 m.

The land around Moratuwa is covered by water (60%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, water (53%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
113 m
80 km
2,060 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Panadura 7.0 km · Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 8.0 km · Maharagama 10 km · Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte 13 km · Pita Kotte 13 km · Battaramulla South 14 km · Homagama 15 km · Kotikawatta 17 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 Moratuwa (6.773°, 79.8816°, elevation 10 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).