Polonnaruwa weather in April

In April, Polonnaruwa sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 92 mm of rain across 14.2 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in April, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of April to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Polonnaruwa's 2nd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Polonnaruwa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
6th warmest
Overnight low
25°
7th coldest
Rainfall
92 mm
14.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:01 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
60%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Polonnaruwa is town in North Central Province, Sri Lanka.

Founded
1070

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month.

A typical April day in Polonnaruwa reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 2°C warmer than March and on par with May.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13424
23424
33424
43424
53424
63424
73424
83424
93424
103424
113424
123425
133425
143425
153425
163425
173425
183425
193425
203425
213425
223525
233525
243525
253525
263525
273525
283525
293525
303525

How April really feels in Polonnaruwa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 30 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
30
30 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Polonnaruwa weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 22°11014.311.64.8
Feb30° / 22°7310.711.74.7
Mar33° / 23°509.111.93.8
Apr34° / 25°9214.212.22.5
May35° / 26°679.312.42.5
Jun35° / 27°184.112.52.8
Jul35° / 26°265.412.42.8
Aug35° / 26°325.612.32.7
Sep35° / 26°538.2122.6
Oct33° / 25°18117.311.82.7
Nov30° / 23°23322.611.63.2
Dec29° / 23°20719.711.54.1

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
25941
35842
45842
55743
65743
75644
85644
95446
105446
115347
125347
135248
145248
155149
165149
174951
184951
194852
204852
214753
224654
234555
244555
254456
264357
274357
284258
294258
304258

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Polonnaruwa gets around 92 mm of rain over 14.2 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
141
243
344
446
547
648
749
849
950
1050
1150
1250
1350
1450
1549
1649
1748
1848
1947
2047
2146
2246
2345
2445
2545
2645
2745
2845
2945
3045

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, April lands in the oppressive band about 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
147224
247026
336928
426830
526632
626533
716435
816237
916138
1015940
1105941
1205743
1305644
1405545
1505446
1605347
1705248
1815148
1915148
2015049
2115049
2215049
2314950
2414950
2514950
2614851
2714851
2814851
2914851
3024751

Wind in April

Winds average 7 km/h in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
299calm
309calm

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of April to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 5:55 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:096:13
212.16:086:13
312.16:086:12
412.16:076:12
512.16:076:12
612.16:066:12
712.16:056:12
812.16:056:12
912.16:046:12
1012.16:046:12
1112.16:036:12
1212.16:036:12
1312.26:026:12
1412.26:026:12
1512.26:016:12
1612.26:016:11
1712.26:006:11
1812.26:006:11
1912.26:006:11
2012.25:596:11
2112.25:596:11
2212.25:586:11
2312.25:586:11
2412.25:576:11
2512.25:576:11
2612.25:576:11
2712.25:566:11
2812.35:566:11
2912.35:566:11
3012.35:556:11

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 6.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in March across the year — April's 6.27 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Polonnaruwa

In seasonPeak

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

Polonnaruwa sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Polonnaruwa's monsoon runs October–January, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is April a good time to visit Polonnaruwa?

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

2.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

April is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Polonnaruwa.

What to pack for Polonnaruwa in April

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

In April, Polonnaruwa sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Polonnaruwa in April

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 63 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in January 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
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Polonnaruwa in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Polonnaruwa peaks around April 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 highApr 20UV 14Dec 19UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Polonnaruwa in April

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where April falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Polonnaruwa is worst in May — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 1028 µg/m³Jul 2120 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May28Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec22Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Polonnaruwa?

Polonnaruwa sits at 7.9°N, 81.0°E, 0 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Sigiriya, 28 km away.

SigiriyaDambullaVakaraiMataleEravur TownTrincomaleeAnuradhapuraBatticaloa

Topography around Polonnaruwa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Polonnaruwa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m around an average of 57 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 297 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,871 m.

The land around Polonnaruwa is covered by trees (48%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, trees (58%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) within 80 km.

3 km
38 m
16 km
297 m
80 km
1,871 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
April weather nearby: Sigiriya 28 km · Dambulla 40 km · Vakarai 52 km · Matale 67 km · Eravur Town 69 km · Trincomalee 75 km · Anuradhapura 77 km · Batticaloa 80 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 Polonnaruwa (7.9397°, 81.0027°, elevation 0 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).