Pottuvil weather in May

In May, Pottuvil sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 62 mm of rain across 11.7 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Pottuvil's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pottuvil's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
11th coldest
Rainfall
62 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:50 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
70%
5th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month.

A typical May day in Pottuvil reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C warmer than April and on par with June.

25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13326
23326
33326
43326
53326
63326
73326
83326
93326
103326
113326
123326
133326
143326
153326
163326
173326
183427
193427
203427
213427
223427
233427
243427
253427
263427
273427
283427
293427
303427
313427

How May really feels in Pottuvil

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
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Pottuvil weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 23°14416.111.65.1
Feb29° / 24°8012.511.85.0
Mar31° / 24°6011.1124.6
Apr32° / 25°8816.512.13.5
May33° / 26°6211.712.33.1
Jun34° / 27°368.912.42.9
Jul34° / 26°389.712.43.0
Aug33° / 26°4111.612.23.0
Sep33° / 26°5512.5123.1
Oct31° / 25°17621.311.83.2
Nov29° / 24°25824.611.73.5
Dec28° / 24°25921.611.64.4

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43763
53763
63862
73763
83763
93664
103664
113664
123664
133664
143664
153664
163664
173664
183565
193565
203466
213466
223466
233367
243169
253169
263070
273070
282971
292872
302773
312674

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Pottuvil gets around 62 mm of rain over 11.7 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 39% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
247
346
445
545
644
743
843
942
1041
1140
1239
1338
1438
1537
1637
1736
1836
1935
2035
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2635
2735
2835
2936
3036
3136

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May 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%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
104258
204258
304258
404258
504258
604258
704357
804456
904555
1004753
1104852
1205050
1305149
1405347
1505446
1605545
1705743
1805842
1906040
2006139
2106337
2206436
2306535
2406733
2506832
2606931
2707030
2807228
2907327
3017326
3117524

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
712calm
812calm
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

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 5:53 AM to 5:49 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:536:07
212.25:526:07
312.25:526:07
412.35:526:07
512.35:526:07
612.35:516:07
712.35:516:07
812.35:516:07
912.35:516:08
1012.35:516:08
1112.35:506:08
1212.35:506:08
1312.35:506:08
1412.35:506:08
1512.35:506:08
1612.35:506:08
1712.35:496:08
1812.35:496:09
1912.35:496:09
2012.35:496:09
2112.35:496:09
2212.35:496:09
2312.35:496:09
2412.35:496:10
2512.35:496:10
2612.45:496:10
2712.45:496:10
2812.45:496:10
2912.45:496:11
3012.45:496:11
3112.45:496:11

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.06 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.97 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Pottuvil

In seasonPeak

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

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

Pottuvil'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 May a good time to visit Pottuvil?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pottuvil.

What to pack for Pottuvil in May

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

In May, Pottuvil sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Pottuvil in May

The nearest coast averages about 30°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 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
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep28Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Pottuvil in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pottuvil peaks around April 16 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 16UV 14Dec 21UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Pottuvil 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 Pottuvil is worst in May — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 1921 µg/m³Dec 2216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Pottuvil?

Pottuvil sits at 6.9°N, 81.8°E, 7 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Ampara, 49 km away.

AmparaKalmunaiKataragamaBadullaEllaBatticaloaEravur TownHambantota

Topography around Pottuvil

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pottuvil has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 22 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,024 m.

The land around Pottuvil is covered by cropland (30%) and water (29%) within 3 km, water (45%) and trees (35%) within 16 km, and trees (46%) and water (41%) within 80 km.

3 km
22 m
16 km
177 m
80 km
2,024 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Ampara 49 km · Kalmunai 59 km · Kataragama 75 km · Badulla 86 km · Ella 86 km · Batticaloa 94 km · Eravur Town 103 km · Hambantota 115 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 Pottuvil (6.8762°, 81.8267°, elevation 7 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).