Geography and Climate
Colombo's geography is a mix of land and water. The city has many canals and, in the heart of the city, the 65-hectare (160-acre) Beira Lake. The lake is one of the most distinctive landmarks of Colombo, and was used for centuries by colonists to defend the city. It remains a popular attraction, hosting regattas, and theatrical events on its shores. The Northern and North-Eastern border of the city of Colombo is formed by the Kelani River, which meets the sea in a part of the city known as the Modera (mōdara in Sinhala) which means river delta.
Colombo features a tropical monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification. Colombo's climate is fairly temperate all throughout the year. From March to April the temperature averages around 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) maximum. The only major change in the Colombo weather occurs during the monsoon seasons from May to August and October to January. This is the time of year where heavy rains can be expected. Colombo sees little relative diurnal range of temperature, although this is more marked in the drier winter months, where minimum temperatures average 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit). Rainfall in the city averages around 2,400 millimetres (94 in) a year.
| Climate data for Colombo, Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.2 (95.4) |
35.6 (96.1) |
36.0 (96.8) |
35.2 (95.4) |
32.8 (91.0) |
33.5 (92.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
33.6 (92.5) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.2 (93.6) |
36.0 (96.8) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.9 (87.6) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.64 (87.16) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.6 (79.9) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.7 (81.9) |
28.2 (82.8) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.38 (81.29) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) |
22.6 (72.7) |
23.7 (74.7) |
24.6 (76.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.8 (73.0) |
24.11 (75.39) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 16.4 (61.5) |
18.9 (66.0) |
17.7 (63.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
21.0 (69.8) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.1 (64.6) |
16.4 (61.5) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 58.2 (2.291) |
72.7 (2.862) |
128.0 (5.039) |
245.6 (9.669) |
392.4 (15.449) |
184.9 (7.28) |
121.9 (4.799) |
119.5 (4.705) |
245.4 (9.661) |
365.4 (14.386) |
414.4 (16.315) |
175.3 (6.902) |
2,523.7 (99.358) |
| % humidity | 69 | 69 | 71 | 75 | 78 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 78 | 78 | 76 | 73 | 75 |
| Avg. precipitation days | 5 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 145 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 248.0 | 248.6 | 275.9 | 234.0 | 201.5 | 195.0 | 201.5 | 201.5 | 189.0 | 201.5 | 210.0 | 217.0 | 2,623.5 |
| Source #1: World Meteorological Organization, Hong Kong Observatory | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: NOAA | |||||||||||||
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