Negombo weather in December

In December, Negombo sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 137 mm of rain across 14.1 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-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 22% 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 Negombo's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Negombo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
25°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
137 mm
14.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:19 AM – 5:54 PM
Cloud cover
67%
5th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Negombo is city in 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 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Negombo reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302924
312924

How December really feels in Negombo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 21 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
21
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Negombo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°386.411.65.8
Feb30° / 25°396.511.85.5
Mar30° / 26°7615.8124.4
Apr30° / 27°1632612.23.2
May29° / 27°25428.612.33.0
Jun29° / 27°2242712.43.2
Jul28° / 26°17624.612.43.7
Aug28° / 26°16423.912.23.9
Sep28° / 26°21525.3123.6
Oct28° / 26°31426.411.83.5
Nov29° / 25°27222.411.73.8
Dec29° / 25°13714.111.65.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
23070
33169
43169
53169
63169
73268
83268
93268
103169
113169
123169
133169
143169
153367
163367
173367
183466
193466
203664
213763
223763
234060
244159
254357
264456
274555
284753
294852
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Negombo gets around 137 mm of rain over 14.1 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 45% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
158
256
355
454
553
653
752
852
951
1051
1150
1250
1350
1449
1549
1648
1747
1847
1946
2044
2143
2242
2340
2438
2537
2635
2733
2832
2930
3029
3128

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 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
157421
257520
367420
467420
567519
677419
777419
877518
977518
1077518
1187517
1287517
1387616
1487616
1587715
1697714
1797813
18107713
19107812
20117811
21127810
22137710
2314779
2414779
2515778
2616768
2717767
2818757
2919756
3020746
3120755

Wind in December

Winds average 17 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1617light 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
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

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 6:12 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 6:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:125:49
211.66:135:49
311.66:135:49
411.66:135:50
511.66:145:50
611.66:145:50
711.66:155:51
811.66:155:51
911.66:165:51
1011.66:165:52
1111.66:175:52
1211.66:175:53
1311.66:185:53
1411.66:185:53
1511.66:195:54
1611.66:195:54
1711.66:205:55
1811.66:205:55
1911.66:215:56
2011.66:215:56
2111.66:225:57
2211.66:225:57
2311.66:235:58
2411.66:235:58
2511.66:245:58
2611.66:245:59
2711.66:245:59
2811.66:256:00
2911.66:256:00
3011.66:266:01
3111.66:266:01

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.69 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.86 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Negombo

In seasonPeak

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

Negombo 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 December a good time to visit Negombo?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Negombo for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Negombo in December

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

In December, Negombo sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Negombo in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in December — 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 Negombo 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 Negombo peaks around February 17 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 highFeb 17UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Negombo 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 Negombo is worst in March — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (August, 17 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2030 µg/m³Aug 2417 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb23Moderate
Mar30Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct19Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Negombo?

Negombo sits at 7.2°N, 79.8°E, 8 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Katunayaka, 7.0 km away.

HendalaWattalaPeliyagodaKelaniya

Topography around Negombo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Negombo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,554 m.

The land around Negombo is covered by water (52%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, water (54%) and trees (37%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
13 m
16 km
69 m
80 km
1,554 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Katunayaka 7.0 km · Ja Ela 16 km · Kandana 19 km · Welisara 21 km · Hendala 25 km · Wattala 25 km · Peliyagoda 27 km · Kelaniya 30 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 Negombo (7.2083°, 79.8358°, elevation 8 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).