Sigiriya weather in May

In May, Sigiriya sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 60 mm of rain across 8.1 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Sigiriya's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sigiriya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
25°
12th coldest
Rainfall
60 mm
8.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
5:52 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
72%
5th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month.

A typical May day in Sigiriya reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13425
23425
33425
43425
53325
63325
73325
83325
93325
103325
113325
123325
133325
143325
153326
163326
173326
183326
193326
203326
213326
223326
233326
243326
253326
263326
273326
283326
293326
303326
313326

How May really feels in Sigiriya

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
13 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Sigiriya weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% 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
23961
33961
43763
53763
63664
73664
83565
93466
103367
113367
123268
133268
143268
153268
163070
173070
183070
192971
203070
212971
222971
232872
242971
252971
262872
272872
282773
292773
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Sigiriya gets around 60 mm of rain over 8.1 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 26% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
342
441
541
639
738
837
935
1034
1132
1230
1329
1427
1525
1624
1722
1821
1920
2019
2118
2217
2316
2416
2516
2616
2715
2815
2916
3016
3116

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 77% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
117326
217227
317029
416930
516831
616831
716732
816732
916732
1016831
1116930
1216930
1317029
1417227
1517326
1617425
1717623
1817722
1917920
2018019
2118217
2218316
2318415
2418514
2508713
2608812
2708812
2808911
2909010
300919
310928

Wind in May

Winds average 17 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. Calmer and breezier days trade off through the month.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
412calm
512light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

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 5:56 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:566:12
212.35:566:13
312.35:556:13
412.35:556:13
512.35:556:13
612.35:546:13
712.35:546:13
812.35:546:13
912.35:546:13
1012.35:536:13
1112.35:536:13
1212.35:536:14
1312.35:536:14
1412.45:536:14
1512.45:536:14
1612.45:526:14
1712.45:526:14
1812.45:526:14
1912.45:526:15
2012.45:526:15
2112.45:526:15
2212.45:526:15
2312.45:526:15
2412.45:526:16
2512.45:526:16
2612.45:526:16
2712.45:526:16
2812.45:526:16
2912.45:526:17
3012.45:526:17
3112.45:526:17

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.78 kWh/m².

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 — May's 5.78 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Sigiriya

In seasonPeak

None of Sigiriya's seasonal hazards are active in May. 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 May a good time to visit Sigiriya?

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

3.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May 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 May

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

In May, Sigiriya sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Sigiriya 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 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 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 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
May 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).