Climate averages 1991–2020
Matara weather
in December.
A hot, very wet month: the 6th warmest and the 9th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a hot month in Matara: daytime highs average 28.6°C and nights cool to about 23.7°C. By daytime temperature it is the 6th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 199 mm of rain on roughly 21 days, which makes December a very wet month (the 9th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 47 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Galle (38 km away). In December its highs average 28.0°C, 0.6°C cooler than Matara, with 148 mm of rain.
Among the 12 cities listed in Sri Lanka, Matara ranks 5th of 12 for the warmest December highs and joint 7th of 12 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 12 cities is 27.8°C; Matara is 0.8°C warmer than that mean.
From December to January, average highs rise by 0.5°C to 29.1°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 199 mm to 97 mm.
The annual picture
December 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 | 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, selected | 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
December in nearby cities
- Galle in DecemberSri Lanka · 38 kmHigh 28.0°C · Low 23.9°C · 148 mm rain
- Ambalantota in DecemberSri Lanka · 57 kmHigh 28.9°C · Low 23.6°C · 153 mm rain
- Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia in DecemberSri Lanka · 123 kmHigh 29.0°C · Low 23.3°C · 174 mm rain
- Colombo in DecemberSri Lanka · 133 kmHigh 29.2°C · Low 23.2°C · 164 mm rain
- Kandy in DecemberSri Lanka · 150 kmHigh 25.5°C · Low 19.8°C · 214 mm rain
- Negombo in DecemberSri Lanka · 160 kmHigh 29.1°C · Low 23.5°C · 137 mm rain
- Kalmunai in DecemberSri Lanka · 217 kmHigh 27.2°C · Low 24.2°C · 310 mm rain
- Batticaloa in DecemberSri Lanka · 234 kmHigh 27.3°C · Low 23.5°C · 302 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.