Sigiriya weather in March

In March, Sigiriya sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 47 mm of rain across 8.4 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 34°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Sigiriya's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sigiriya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
7th warmest
Overnight low
23°
4th coldest
Rainfall
47 mm
8.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:18 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
52%
1st clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 34°C by the end.

A typical March day in Sigiriya reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 3°C warmer than February and about 1°C cooler than April.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13122
23122
33122
43122
53122
63222
73222
83222
93222
103222
113222
123222
133222
143223
153323
163323
173323
183323
193323
203323
213323
223323
233323
243323
253423
263423
273423
283423
293424
303424
313424

How March really feels in Sigiriya

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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 March is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Sigiriya weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 7th-warmest and 8th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in March, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25545
35644
45743
55743
65842
75842
85842
95842
105941
115941
125941
136040
146040
156040
166139
176139
186139
196139
206139
216139
226139
236238
246238
256238
266238
276139
286139
296139
306040
315941

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Sigiriya gets around 47 mm of rain over 8.4 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 29% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1129
1229
1328
1428
1527
1627
1726
1826
1925
2025
2125
2225
2325
2426
2526
2627
2729
2830
2932
3034
3136

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1534601
2434611
3434611
4434611
5334621
6334621
7334612
8234622
9233632
10233632
11233632
12233632
13233641
14232651
15232651
16232651
17231661
18230671
19229681
20229681
21228682
22227692
23226702
24225712
25224713
26223723
27222733
28120763
29119764
30117784
31116794

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:25 AM to 6:10 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:256:15
211.86:256:15
311.86:246:15
411.96:246:15
511.96:246:15
611.96:236:15
711.96:236:15
811.96:226:15
911.96:226:15
1011.96:216:15
1111.96:216:15
1211.96:206:15
1311.96:206:15
1411.96:196:15
1511.96:196:15
1611.96:186:15
1712.06:186:15
1812.06:176:15
1912.06:176:15
2012.06:166:15
2112.06:166:15
2212.06:156:15
2312.06:156:14
2412.06:146:14
2512.06:146:14
2612.06:136:14
2712.06:126:14
2812.06:126:14
2912.06:116:14
3012.16:116:14
3112.16:106:14

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.21 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — March's 6.21 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Sigiriya

In seasonPeak

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

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 March a good time to visit Sigiriya?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sigiriya. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Sigiriya in March

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

In March, Sigiriya sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Sigiriya in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March 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
March 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).