Polonnaruwa weather in December

In December, Polonnaruwa sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 207 mm of rain across 19.7 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 10% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Polonnaruwa's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Polonnaruwa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
11th warmest
Overnight low
23°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
207 mm
19.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:16 AM – 5:48 PM
Cloud cover
76%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
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 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 Polonnaruwa reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13023
22923
32923
42923
52923
62923
72923
82923
92923
102923
112923
122923
132923
142923
152923
162923
172923
182923
192923
202923
212923
222922
232922
242922
252922
262922
272922
282922
292922
302922
312922

How December really feels in Polonnaruwa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 18 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
18
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.

Polonnaruwa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-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 December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32278
42278
52278
62377
72377
82377
92377
102377
112377
122377
132377
142377
152377
162476
172476
182575
192575
202674
212773
222773
232872
242872
253070
263070
273169
283169
293169
303169
313268

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Polonnaruwa gets around 207 mm of rain over 19.7 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 64% and peaks near 70% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
170
269
368
467
567
666
766
866
965
1065
1165
1265
1365
1465
1565
1665
1764
1864
1964
2063
2163
2262
2362
2461
2560
2659
2759
2858
2958
3058
3158

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 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
177716
287616
397615
497615
5107515
6107614
7117514
8117613
9117613
10117613
11127513
12127612
13127612
14137611
15137611
16137710
17147610
1815769
1915778
2016768
2117767
2217767
2318766
2419756
2520746
2620746
2721745
2822735
2922735
3022735
3122735

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 5:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:095:43
211.66:095:43
311.66:105:43
411.66:105:44
511.66:115:44
611.66:115:44
711.66:115:45
811.66:125:45
911.66:125:46
1011.56:135:46
1111.56:135:46
1211.56:145:47
1311.56:145:47
1411.56:155:48
1511.56:155:48
1611.56:165:48
1711.56:165:49
1811.56:175:49
1911.56:175:50
2011.56:185:50
2111.56:185:51
2211.56:195:51
2311.56:195:52
2411.56:205:52
2511.56:205:53
2611.56:215:53
2711.56:215:53
2811.56:225:54
2911.56:225:54
3011.56:225:55
3111.56:235:55

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.83 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

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 — December's 3.83 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.8Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.8Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.8Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Polonnaruwa

In seasonPeak

In December, Polonnaruwa sits inside its cyclone and monsoon 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 December a good time to visit Polonnaruwa?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Polonnaruwa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Polonnaruwa in December

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

In December, Polonnaruwa sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Polonnaruwa 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 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 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 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 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 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
December 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).