Sigiriya weather in December

In December, Sigiriya sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 186 mm of rain across 20.4 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 8% 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 Sigiriya's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sigiriya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
11th warmest
Overnight low
22°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
186 mm
20.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:17 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
78%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Sigiriya is ancient rock fortress near Dambulla, Sri Lanka..

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 Sigiriya reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°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 30°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)
12923
22923
32923
42923
52923
62923
72923
82923
92922
102922
112922
122922
132922
142922
152922
162822
172822
182822
192822
202822
212822
222822
232822
242822
252822
262822
272822
282822
292822
302822
312822

How December really feels in Sigiriya

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 1 day 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
1
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.

Sigiriya 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
Jan28° / 21°9814.211.65.0
Feb30° / 22°7110.611.74.8
Mar33° / 23°478.411.93.9
Apr34° / 24°9414.312.22.8
May33° / 25°608.112.43.3
Jun33° / 25°194.612.53.7
Jul33° / 25°214.512.43.7
Aug33° / 25°275.112.33.6
Sep33° / 25°438.5123.4
Oct32° / 24°16617.711.83.2
Nov30° / 23°22222.511.63.4
Dec29° / 22°18620.411.54.2

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 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42080
52080
62080
72080
82080
91981
101981
111981
122080
132080
142179
152179
162278
172278
182377
192377
202476
212674
222575
232674
242674
252674
262773
272773
282872
292872
302872
312872

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Sigiriya gets around 186 mm of rain over 20.4 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 65% and peaks near 71% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
171
271
370
470
569
669
769
869
969
1069
1168
1268
1368
1467
1567
1666
1766
1865
1965
2064
2164
2263
2362
2462
2561
2660
2759
2859
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 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1013852
2014842
3015832
4016822
5016822
6017812
7017803
8018793
9018793
10018793
11018793
12019783
13019792
14019792
15020782
16020782
17021772
18121762
19122761
20123751
21123751
22124741
23225721
24225721
25226711
26227701
27228691
28328681
29329671
30329671
31329671

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 6:10 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 5:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:105:44
211.66:105:44
311.66:115:44
411.66:115:45
511.66:125:45
611.66:125:45
711.66:135:46
811.66:135:46
911.66:145:47
1011.56:145:47
1111.56:145:47
1211.56:155:48
1311.56:155:48
1411.56:165:49
1511.56:165:49
1611.56:175:49
1711.56:175:50
1811.56:185:50
1911.56:185:51
2011.56:195:51
2111.56:195:52
2211.56:205:52
2311.56:205:53
2411.56:215:53
2511.56:215:54
2611.56:225:54
2711.56:225:54
2811.56:235:55
2911.56:235:55
3011.56:235:56
3111.56:245:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.76 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 3.76 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sigiriya

In seasonPeak

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

Sigiriya's monsoon runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Sigiriya?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Sigiriya for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sigiriya in December

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

In December, Sigiriya sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Sigiriya 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 Sigiriya peaks around April 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 20UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Sigiriya 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 Sigiriya 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 Sigiriya?

Sigiriya sits at 7.9°N, 80.8°E, 0 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Dambulla, 15 km away.

PolonnaruwaAnuradhapuraMataleKurunegalaKandyVakaraiTrincomalee

Topography around Sigiriya

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sigiriya has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 m around an average of 201 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 577 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,870 m.

The land around Sigiriya is covered by trees (72%) within 3 km, trees (76%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
141 m
16 km
577 m
80 km
1,870 m
treesgrasslandcroplandwater
December weather nearby: Dambulla 15 km · Polonnaruwa 28 km · Anuradhapura 55 km · Matale 55 km · Kurunegala 67 km · Kandy 74 km · Vakarai 78 km · Trincomalee 87 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 Sigiriya (7.9495°, 80.7504°, 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. 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).