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Sri Lanka's climate can be described
as tropical, and quite hot. Its position between 5 and
10 north latitude endows the country with a warm
climate, moderated by ocean winds and considerable
moisture. The mean temperature ranges from a low of 16°C
in Nuwara Eliya in the Central Highlands (where frost
may occur for several days in the winter) to a high of
32° C in Trincomalee on the northeast coast (where
temperatures may reach 38 °C). The average yearly
temperature for the country as a whole ranges from 28 to
30 °C. Day and night temperatures may vary by 4 to 7. In
January, the coolest month, many people wear coats and
sweaters in the highlands and elsewhere. May, the
hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains. The
rainfall pattern is influenced by the monsoon winds of
the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal, which encounter the
slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains
on the mountain slopes and the southwestern sector of
the island. Some of the windward slopes receive up to
2500 mm of rain per month, but the leeward slopes in the
east and northeast receive little rain. Periodic squalls
occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast
skies and rains to the southwest, northeast, and eastern
parts of the island. Between December to March, monsoon
winds come from the northeast, bringing moisture from
the Bay of Bengal. Humidity is typically higher in the
southwest and mountainous areas and depends on the
seasonal patterns of rainfall. At Colombo, for example,
daytime humidity stays above 70% all year, rising to
almost 90 percent during the monsoon season in June.
Anuradhapura experiences a daytime low of 60% during the
monsoon month of March, but a high of 79% during the
November and December rains. In the highlands, Kandy's
daytime humidity usually ranges between 70 and 79%. |
