Puttalam weather in May

In May, Puttalam sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 135 mm of rain across 22 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Puttalam's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Puttalam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
4th warmest
Overnight low
27°
12th coldest
Rainfall
135 mm
22 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
5:56 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
72%
6th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.6
out of 10

Puttalam is large town in North Western Province, 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 30°C through the month.

A typical May day in Puttalam reaches about 30°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 29°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and about 1°C warmer than 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
143027
153027
163027
173027
183027
193027
203027
213027
223027
233027
243027
253027
263027
273027
283027
293027
303027
313027

How May really feels in Puttalam

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.

Puttalam weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°416.311.65.9
Feb30° / 24°325.211.75.5
Mar31° / 26°4810.111.94.6
Apr31° / 27°11721.712.23.4
May30° / 27°1352212.43.6
Jun29° / 27°7916.712.54.3
Jul29° / 26°4110.112.45.2
Aug29° / 26°5011.512.35.1
Sep29° / 26°9316.5124.5
Oct29° / 26°22222.511.83.8
Nov29° / 25°24822.111.63.8
Dec29° / 25°1371411.55.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23862
33862
43763
53763
63763
73664
83664
93664
103664
113565
123466
133466
143466
153466
163367
173268
183169
193169
203070
213070
223070
233070
242971
252971
262872
272773
282674
292674
302575
312476

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Puttalam gets around 135 mm of rain over 22 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 70% and peaks near 75% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
175
275
375
475
574
674
773
872
972
1071
1170
1269
1368
1468
1567
1667
1767
1867
1967
2067
2168
2268
2368
2469
2569
2670
2770
2871
2971
3071
3171

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 99% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1298
2298
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10199
11199
12199
13199
14199
15199
160100
170100
180100
190100
200100
210100
220100
230100
240100
250100
260100
270100
280100
290100
30199
31199

Wind in May

Winds average 22 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 26 km/h at its breeziest. Calmer and breezier days trade off through the month.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
920light breeze
1020breezy
1120breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2324breezy
2424breezy
2525breezy
2625breezy
2725breezy
2825breezy
2925breezy
3025breezy
3126breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 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 6 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 5:55 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:006:16
212.35:596:16
312.35:596:16
412.35:596:16
512.35:586:17
612.35:586:17
712.35:586:17
812.35:586:17
912.35:576:17
1012.35:576:17
1112.35:576:17
1212.35:576:17
1312.35:566:17
1412.45:566:18
1512.45:566:18
1612.45:566:18
1712.45:566:18
1812.45:566:18
1912.45:566:18
2012.45:556:19
2112.45:556:19
2212.45:556:19
2312.45:556:19
2412.45:556:19
2512.45:556:20
2612.45:556:20
2712.45:556:20
2812.45:556:20
2912.45:556:20
3012.45:556:21
3112.45:556:21

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in March across the year — May's 5.55 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Puttalam

In seasonPeak

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

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

Puttalam's rainy season runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is May a good time to visit Puttalam?

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

3.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Puttalam.

What to pack for Puttalam in May

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

In May, Puttalam sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection and a windbreaker. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Puttalam 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 at the nearest coast (about 24 km away) 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
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Puttalam 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 Puttalam peaks around April 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 19UV 13Dec 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Puttalam 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 Puttalam is worst in March — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2330 µg/m³Oct 2016 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar30Moderate
Apr29Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Puttalam?

Puttalam sits at 8.0°N, 79.8°E, 8 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Chilaw, 51 km away.

ChilawAnuradhapuraKurunegalaNegomboDambullaKatunayakaSigiriyaKegalle

Topography around Puttalam

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Puttalam has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 93 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 580 m.

The land around Puttalam is covered by water (45%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
30 m
16 km
93 m
80 km
580 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
May weather nearby: Chilaw 51 km · Anuradhapura 71 km · Kurunegala 86 km · Negombo 92 km · Dambulla 93 km · Katunayaka 97 km · Sigiriya 102 km · Kegalle 104 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 Puttalam (8.0362°, 79.8283°, 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).