Climate averages 1991–2020
Matara weather
in August.
A hot, wet month: one of the coolest and the joint 4th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
August is a hot month in Matara: daytime highs average 28.2°C and nights cool to about 24.7°C. By daytime temperature it is one of the coolest months of the year.
Expect about 159 mm of rain on roughly 27 days, which makes August a wet month (the joint 4th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 19 min on an average August day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Galle (38 km away). In August its highs average 27.7°C, about as warm as Matara, with 207 mm of rain.
Among the 12 cities listed in Sri Lanka, Matara ranks 9th of 12 for the warmest August highs and 8th of 12 for the driest August (rainfall, lowest first). The mean August high of those 12 cities is 30.0°C; Matara is 1.9°C cooler than that mean.
From August to September, average highs stay level at 28.2°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 159 mm to 196 mm.
The annual picture
August in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Matara climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29.1°C23.4°C | 23.4°C | 97 | 14.4 | 11.812 h |
| February | 30.0°C23.8°C | 23.8°C | 79 | 12.6 | 11.912 h |
| March | 30.5°C24.6°C | 24.6°C | 99 | 18.1 | 12.112 h |
| April | 29.9°C25.2°C | 25.2°C | 182 | 25.5 | 12.212 h |
| May | 29.0°C25.4°C | 25.4°C | 224 | 28.3 | 12.412 h |
| June | 28.5°C25.1°C | 25.1°C | 187 | 26.8 | 12.512 h |
| July | 28.3°C24.8°C | 24.8°C | 159 | 26.7 | 12.412 h |
| August, selected | 28.2°C24.7°C | 24.7°C | 159 | 26.7 | 12.312 h |
| September | 28.2°C24.6°C | 24.6°C | 196 | 26.2 | 12.212 h |
| October | 28.4°C24.4°C | 24.4°C | 250 | 26.5 | 12.012 h |
| November | 28.5°C24.1°C | 24.1°C | 296 | 25.3 | 11.912 h |
| December | 28.6°C23.7°C | 23.7°C | 199 | 21.2 | 11.812 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
August in nearby cities
- Galle in AugustSri Lanka · 38 kmHigh 27.7°C · Low 24.8°C · 207 mm rain
- Ambalantota in AugustSri Lanka · 57 kmHigh 31.2°C · Low 25.3°C · 52 mm rain
- Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia in AugustSri Lanka · 123 kmHigh 28.1°C · Low 24.7°C · 183 mm rain
- Colombo in AugustSri Lanka · 133 kmHigh 28.4°C · Low 24.6°C · 168 mm rain
- Kandy in AugustSri Lanka · 150 kmHigh 26.8°C · Low 21.1°C · 90 mm rain
- Negombo in AugustSri Lanka · 160 kmHigh 28.4°C · Low 25.0°C · 165 mm rain
- Kalmunai in AugustSri Lanka · 217 kmHigh 32.8°C · Low 26.1°C · 42 mm rain
- Batticaloa in AugustSri Lanka · 234 kmHigh 34.2°C · Low 26.1°C · 31 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Matara) is explained once on the Matara year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.