Ratnapura weather in December

In December, Ratnapura sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 515 mm of rain across 26.1 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ratnapura's 5th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ratnapura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
6th warmest
Overnight low
20°
4th coldest
Rainfall
515 mm
26.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:16 AM – 5:53 PM
Cloud cover
78%
5th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
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 December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ratnapura reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12720
22720
32720
42720
52720
62720
72720
82720
92720
102720
112720
122720
132720
142720
152720
162720
172720
182720
192720
202720
212720
222720
232720
242720
252720
262720
272720
282720
292720
302720
312720

Ratnapura weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-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 December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31783
41882
51882
61882
71882
81882
91882
101882
111981
121981
131981
141981
152080
162080
172080
182179
192179
202278
212377
222476
232476
242575
252674
262674
272773
282872
292872
302971
313070

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ratnapura gets around 515 mm of rain over 26.1 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 85% and peaks near 88% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
288
387
487
587
686
786
886
986
1087
1187
1287
1387
1487
1587
1687
1787
1886
1986
2085
2185
2284
2383
2483
2582
2681
2780
2880
2979
3079
3179

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
125147
225147
325246
425246
525345
625345
725345
825345
925345
1025345
1125345
1225444
1325444
1425543
1525642
1625741
1725840
1825939
1926038
2036037
2136136
2236235
2336334
2446333
2546432
2646531
2746630
2856629
2956728
3056728
3156827

Wind in December

Winds average 3 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:095:47
211.66:095:48
311.66:105:48
411.66:105:48
511.66:115:49
611.66:115:49
711.66:125:49
811.66:125:50
911.66:135:50
1011.66:135:50
1111.66:145:51
1211.66:145:51
1311.66:155:52
1411.66:155:52
1511.66:165:53
1611.66:165:53
1711.66:175:53
1811.66:175:54
1911.66:185:54
2011.66:185:55
2111.66:195:55
2211.66:195:56
2311.66:195:56
2411.66:205:57
2511.66:205:57
2611.66:215:58
2711.66:215:58
2811.66:225:59
2911.66:225:59
3011.66:236:00
3111.66:236:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.33 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 — December's 4.33 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ratnapura

In seasonPeak

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

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 December a good time to visit Ratnapura?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Ratnapura for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ratnapura in December

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

In December, Ratnapura sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near Ratnapura 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 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 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 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 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 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
December 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).