Climate averages 1991–2020
Matara weather
in March.
A hot, wet month: the warmest and the 3rd driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
March is a hot month in Matara: daytime highs average 30.5°C and nights cool to about 24.6°C. By daytime temperature it is the warmest month of the year.
Expect about 99 mm of rain on roughly 18 days, which makes March a wet month (the 3rd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 05 min on an average March day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Galle (38 km away). In March its highs average 29.6°C, 0.9°C cooler than Matara, with 65 mm of rain.
Among the 12 cities listed in Sri Lanka, Matara ranks 5th of 12 for the warmest March highs and 12th of 12 for the driest March (rainfall, lowest first). The mean March high of those 12 cities is 30.5°C; Matara is level with that mean.
From March to April, average highs fall by 0.6°C to 29.9°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 99 mm to 182 mm.
The annual picture
March 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, selected | 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 | 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
March in nearby cities
- Galle in MarchSri Lanka · 38 kmHigh 29.6°C · Low 24.7°C · 65 mm rain
- Ambalantota in MarchSri Lanka · 57 kmHigh 31.7°C · Low 24.4°C · 58 mm rain
- Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia in MarchSri Lanka · 123 kmHigh 31.0°C · Low 24.5°C · 75 mm rain
- Colombo in MarchSri Lanka · 133 kmHigh 31.6°C · Low 24.4°C · 75 mm rain
- Kandy in MarchSri Lanka · 150 kmHigh 29.5°C · Low 20.4°C · 83 mm rain
- Negombo in MarchSri Lanka · 160 kmHigh 31.8°C · Low 24.8°C · 76 mm rain
- Kalmunai in MarchSri Lanka · 217 kmHigh 29.5°C · Low 24.7°C · 60 mm rain
- Batticaloa in MarchSri Lanka · 234 kmHigh 30.2°C · Low 24.0°C · 52 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.