Ratnapura weather in August

In August, Ratnapura sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 228 mm of rain across 28.3 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in August, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of August to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Ratnapura's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ratnapura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
11th warmest
Overnight low
21°
9th coldest
Rainfall
228 mm
28.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:06 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
85%
10th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Ratnapura is city in Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.

Density
2,392/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical August day in Ratnapura reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12621
22621
32621
42621
52621
62621
72621
82621
92621
102621
112621
122621
132621
142621
152621
162621
172621
182621
192621
202621
212621
222621
232621
242621
252621
262621
272621
282621
292621
302621
312621

Ratnapura weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 11th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°30822.811.74.5
Feb28° / 19°27920.511.84.6
Mar28° / 20°30927.4123.7
Apr28° / 21°4682912.13.3
May27° / 22°31029.612.33.4
Jun26° / 22°26727.912.43.6
Jul26° / 21°24628.512.33.7
Aug26° / 21°22828.312.23.7
Sep26° / 21°24626123.9
Oct27° / 21°49727.511.93.8
Nov27° / 20°66126.911.73.8
Dec27° / 20°51526.111.64.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 91%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
91090
101090
111090
12991
13991
14892
15892
16892
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22892
23892
24892
25892
26892
27892
28892
29991
30991
31991

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Ratnapura gets around 228 mm of rain over 28.3 wet days in August, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 91% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
193
293
392
492
592
692
792
892
991
1091
1191
1291
1391
1491
1591
1691
1791
1891
1991
2091
2191
2291
2391
2491
2591
2690
2790
2890
2989
3089
3188

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the oppressive band about 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
14357
24357
34258
44258
54258
64258
74258
84258
94258
104258
114258
124258
134258
144258
154258
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224258
234258
244357
254357
264357
274456
284555
294654
304753
314753

Wind in August

Winds average 7 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

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

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:06 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:066:23
212.36:066:23
312.36:066:23
412.36:066:23
512.36:066:22
612.36:066:22
712.36:066:22
812.36:066:22
912.36:066:21
1012.36:066:21
1112.26:066:21
1212.26:066:20
1312.26:066:20
1412.26:066:20
1512.26:066:19
1612.26:066:19
1712.26:066:19
1812.26:066:18
1912.26:066:18
2012.26:066:18
2112.26:066:17
2212.26:056:17
2312.26:056:16
2412.26:056:16
2512.26:056:15
2612.26:056:15
2712.26:056:14
2812.26:056:14
2912.16:056:13
3012.16:056:13
3112.16:046:12

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.23 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 kWh/m² in March across the year — August's 4.94 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
95.0Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Ratnapura

In seasonPeak

None of Ratnapura's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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

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

Is August a good time to visit Ratnapura?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ratnapura.

What to pack for Ratnapura in August

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

In August, Ratnapura sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 21°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Ratnapura in August

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 59 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in August near 28°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
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Ratnapura in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August 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 Ratnapura peaks around April 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 17UV 14Dec 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Ratnapura in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Ratnapura is worst in January — around 84 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.8× the cleanest month (July, 29 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1483 µg/m³Jul 2129 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan84Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar73Unhealthy
Apr62Unhealthy
May44Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep35Poor
Oct52Poor
Nov74Unhealthy
Dec81Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Ratnapura?

Ratnapura sits at 6.7°N, 80.4°E, 73 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Hatton, 31 km away.

HattonHanwella IhalaHomagamaKalutaraBeruwalaNuwara EliyaBentotaPanadura

Topography around Ratnapura

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ratnapura has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 m around an average of 79 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,947 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,500 m.

The land around Ratnapura is covered by trees (93%) within 3 km, trees (98%) within 16 km, and trees (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
364 m
16 km
1,947 m
80 km
2,500 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Hatton 31 km · Hanwella Ihala 43 km · Homagama 48 km · Kalutara 50 km · Beruwala 52 km · Nuwara Eliya 53 km · Bentota 54 km · Panadura 55 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 Ratnapura (6.6858°, 80.4036°, elevation 73 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).