Vakarai weather in December

In December, Vakarai sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 278 mm of rain across 21.2 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 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% 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 Vakarai's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vakarai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
25°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
278 mm
21.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:15 AM – 5:46 PM
Cloud cover
70%
6th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Vakarai is town in 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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Vakarai reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12725
22725
32725
42725
52725
62725
72725
82725
92725
102725
112725
122725
132725
142725
152725
162725
172725
182725
192725
202725
212725
222725
232725
242725
252725
262725
272725
282725
292725
302725
312725

How December really feels in Vakarai

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Vakarai 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
Jan27° / 25°13614.711.65.8
Feb27° / 25°791011.76.4
Mar29° / 26°447.911.96.2
Apr30° / 27°6010.512.24.9
May32° / 28°53912.44.0
Jun33° / 28°203.812.53.9
Jul32° / 27°286.312.43.9
Aug32° / 27°388.412.33.9
Sep31° / 27°5911.5123.9
Oct30° / 26°17819.711.83.8
Nov28° / 25°29823.811.64.0
Dec27° / 25°27821.211.54.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43268
53268
63268
73268
83466
93466
103367
113268
123367
133367
143367
153466
163466
173565
183466
193565
203565
213763
223763
233862
244060
254060
264060
274159
284159
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Vakarai gets around 278 mm of rain over 21.2 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 68% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
273
372
471
571
670
770
870
970
1070
1170
1270
1370
1470
1570
1670
1770
1870
1970
2069
2169
2268
2367
2466
2565
2664
2762
2861
2960
3060
3159

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 77% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1178012
2188011
3197911
4197911
51107910
61107910
7110809
8111799
9111799
10111808
11111808
12111808
13111808
14112798
15112807
16112807
17113797
18113806
19214786
20215776
21215776
22216766
23217765
24318745
25319735
26319735
27320725
28321724
29321724
30322714
31422704

Wind in December

Winds average 17 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

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 6:07 AM to 6:21 AM, and sunset from 5:41 PM to 5:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:075:41
211.66:085:41
311.66:085:41
411.66:095:42
511.56:095:42
611.56:105:42
711.56:105:43
811.56:115:43
911.56:115:43
1011.56:125:44
1111.56:125:44
1211.56:135:45
1311.56:135:45
1411.56:145:45
1511.56:145:46
1611.56:155:46
1711.56:155:47
1811.56:165:47
1911.56:165:48
2011.56:165:48
2111.56:175:49
2211.56:175:49
2311.56:185:50
2411.56:185:50
2511.56:195:50
2611.56:195:51
2711.56:205:51
2811.56:205:52
2911.56:215:52
3011.56:215:53
3111.56:215:53

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.39 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.66 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.39 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Vakarai

In seasonPeak

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

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

Vakarai's monsoon runs October–January, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Vakarai?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Vakarai for sightseeing.

What to pack for Vakarai in December

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

In December, Vakarai sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Vakarai 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 21 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in January near 27°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
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Vakarai 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 Vakarai 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 20UV 14Dec 20UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Vakarai 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 Vakarai is worst in May — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 2122 µg/m³Nov 2114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Vakarai?

Vakarai sits at 8.1°N, 81.4°E, 9 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Eravur Town, 44 km away.

Eravur TownPolonnaruwaTrincomaleeBatticaloaSigiriyaDambullaKalmunaiAmpara

Topography around Vakarai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vakarai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 125 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 658 m.

The land around Vakarai is covered by water (50%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (25%) within 16 km, and trees (38%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
11 m
16 km
125 m
80 km
658 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Eravur Town 44 km · Polonnaruwa 52 km · Trincomalee 54 km · Batticaloa 55 km · Sigiriya 78 km · Dambulla 91 km · Kalmunai 92 km · Ampara 97 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 Vakarai (8.1333°, 81.4333°, elevation 9 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).