Nuwara Eliya weather in December

In December, Nuwara Eliya sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 234 mm of rain across 21 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Nuwara Eliya's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nuwara Eliya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
12th warmest
Overnight low
17°
4th coldest
Rainfall
234 mm
21 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:15 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
80%
5th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Nuwara Eliya is human settlement.

Density
2,115/km²
people per km²

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 23°C through the month.

A typical December day in Nuwara Eliya reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12317
22317
32317
42317
52317
62317
72317
82317
92317
102317
112317
122317
132317
142317
152317
162317
172317
182317
192317
202317
212317
222317
232317
242317
252317
262317
272317
282317
292317
302316
312316

Nuwara Eliya weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 16°12014.711.65.9
Feb24° / 16°10211.511.86.5
Mar26° / 17°10911.9126.4
Apr26° / 18°24321.412.14.7
May25° / 19°21128.612.33.8
Jun24° / 19°16626.412.44.0
Jul24° / 18°17726.912.44.1
Aug24° / 18°18326.912.24.1
Sep24° / 18°22825.7124.2
Oct24° / 18°35327.411.84.0
Nov23° / 17°33024.611.74.2
Dec23° / 17°2342111.64.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31585
41585
51585
61585
71486
81486
91486
101486
111585
121585
131684
141684
151684
161684
171783
181882
191981
201981
212080
222080
232179
242278
252278
262278
272377
282377
292575
302575
312575

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Nuwara Eliya gets around 234 mm of rain over 21 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 68% and peaks near 76% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
176
275
374
473
573
672
772
872
972
1072
1172
1272
1372
1471
1571
1671
1770
1869
1969
2068
2167
2265
2364
2463
2562
2661
2760
2859
2958
3057
3157

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 19% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1076726
2086725
3086824
4096724
5096823
60106723
70106723
80106723
90106723
100106723
110106723
120116623
130116623
140116623
150116623
160126622
170126721
180126721
191136620
201136719
211146718
221146817
231156816
241166815
252176714
262176813
272186812
282186911
292196811
302196910
312196910

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 6:08 AM to 6:22 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:085:45
211.66:085:46
311.66:095:46
411.66:095:46
511.66:105:47
611.66:105:47
711.66:115:47
811.66:115:48
911.66:125:48
1011.66:125:48
1111.66:135:49
1211.66:135:49
1311.66:145:50
1411.66:145:50
1511.66:155:51
1611.66:155:51
1711.66:165:51
1811.66:165:52
1911.66:175:52
2011.66:175:53
2111.66:185:53
2211.66:185:54
2311.66:185:54
2411.66:195:55
2511.66:195:55
2611.66:205:56
2711.66:205:56
2811.66:215:57
2911.66:215:57
3011.66:225:58
3111.66:225:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.05 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.05 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.1Bright
44.1Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.0Bright
84.0Bright
94.0Bright
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Moderate
144.0Moderate
154.0Moderate
164.0Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Moderate
204.0Moderate
214.0Moderate
224.0Bright
234.0Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Nuwara Eliya?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Nuwara Eliya for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nuwara Eliya in December

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

In December, Nuwara Eliya sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Nuwara Eliya in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nuwara Eliya peaks around April 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 15UV 15Dec 17UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Nuwara Eliya 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 Nuwara Eliya is worst in November — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 27 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorNov 1847 µg/m³Jul 1327 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb36Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr44Poor
May36Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct41Poor
Nov48Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Nuwara Eliya?

Nuwara Eliya sits at 7.0°N, 80.8°E, 1,868 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Hatton, 22 km away.

BadullaEllaGampolaKandyRatnapuraKegalleMatale

Topography around Nuwara Eliya

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nuwara Eliya has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 740 m around an average of 1,985 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,984 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,495 m.

The land around Nuwara Eliya is covered by trees (60%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (77%) within 16 km, and trees (89%) within 80 km.

3 km
740 m
16 km
1,984 m
80 km
2,495 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Hatton 22 km · Badulla 30 km · Ella 31 km · Gampola 32 km · Kandy 39 km · Ratnapura 53 km · Kegalle 58 km · Matale 58 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 Nuwara Eliya (6.9708°, 80.7829°, elevation 1,868 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).