Negombo weather in May

In May, Negombo sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 254 mm of rain across 28.6 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 6% 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 Negombo's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Negombo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
27°
12th coldest
Rainfall
254 mm
28.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:57 AM – 6:17 PM
Cloud cover
77%
7th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Negombo is city in 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 Negombo reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

25°28°30°33°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13027
23027
33027
43027
53027
63027
73027
83027
93027
103027
113027
123027
133027
142927
152927
162927
172927
182927
192927
202927
212927
222927
232927
242927
252927
262927
272927
282927
292927
302927
312927

How May really feels in Negombo

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.

Negombo 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° / 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 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 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23169
33070
43169
53070
62971
72971
82872
92872
102773
112773
122674
132575
142575
152476
162377
172476
182377
192278
202278
212179
222080
232080
241981
251882
261882
271882
281783
291783
301684
311585

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Negombo gets around 254 mm of rain over 28.6 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 92% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
191
291
391
491
591
692
792
892
992
1092
1192
1291
1391
1491
1591
1691
1791
1891
1992
2092
2192
2292
2392
2493
2593
2693
2793
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 100% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1298
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10199
110100
120100
130100
140100
150100
160100
170100
180100
190100
200100
210100
220100
230100
240100
250100
260100
270100
280100
290100
30199
31199

Wind in May

Winds average 18 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120breezy

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 6:00 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:006:15
212.36:006:15
312.36:006:15
412.35:596:15
512.35:596:16
612.35:596:16
712.35:596:16
812.35:586:16
912.35:586:16
1012.35:586:16
1112.35:586:16
1212.35:586:16
1312.35:586:16
1412.35:576:16
1512.35:576:17
1612.35:576:17
1712.35:576:17
1812.35:576:17
1912.35:576:17
2012.35:576:17
2112.35:576:18
2212.45:576:18
2312.45:566:18
2412.45:566:18
2512.45:566:18
2612.45:566:19
2712.45:566:19
2812.45:566:19
2912.45:566:19
3012.45:566:19
3112.45:576:20

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.09 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 — May's 5.09 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Negombo

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Negombo?

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 Negombo.

What to pack for Negombo in May

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

In May, Negombo sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Negombo 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 Negombo 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 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 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 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
May 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).