Sri Lanka Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, and Negombo
This month in numbers
Sri Lanka experienced its 10th warmest June on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 28.22°C, marking an anomaly of +0.8°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, June 2026 was the 3rd warmest June for land temperatures on record, with an anomaly of +1°C. The three-month period from April to June 2026 also ranked as the 16th warmest on record for Sri Lanka, at 27.91°C, an anomaly of +0.6°C.
What changed
The recent three-month period (April–June 2026) saw Sri Lanka's temperature anomaly at +0.6°C, placing it 214th out of 234 regions globally for this period. This is cooler than the overall Asia group average anomaly of +1.60°C for the same period. The country's average temperature for 2025 was 27.27°C, making it the warmest year on record since 1941.
What’s driving change?
The current weak El Niño conditions, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +1.8°C as of July 1, 2026, are a significant factor. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to India and Sri Lanka during the June-September monsoon season, often leading to a weaker southwest monsoon. While the southwest monsoon was active in June, El Niño's influence is expected to gradually reduce rainfall from July, particularly by August, and may persist for 9 to 12 months. This could lead to reduced inflows to reservoirs, impacting hydroelectric power generation and agricultural sectors like tea, coconut, and rice cultivation. Sri Lanka has also been grappling with the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which struck in November 2025, causing widespread flooding and landslides and affecting over 2.2 million people, with recovery efforts continuing through May 2026. The country also experienced significant drowning deaths in the first five months of 2026, linked to faster river currents during the monsoon season and changes in river profiles.
Looking ahead
El Niño conditions are forecast to persist through at least the end of 2026, with a 100% probability of El Niño continuing through October-December 2026, suggesting continued warmer and potentially drier conditions in the coming months, particularly for the southwest monsoon season.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Sri Lanka
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Sri Lanka – Monthly Temperature – All Years
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Records – Sri Lanka
Our World in Data / NOAA - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Af · TropicalSri Lanka doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 3.1°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 5× as much rain as the driest). So we track how the wet season has shifted instead.
Monthly rainfall climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: May (+52 mm, +42%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Rainfall & Rain Days – Totals
Headline: anomaly vs the 1961–1990 mean. Small figure: the actual value. Rank: position in the full record (1st = highest ever). Record: highest (or lowest) value on record with its year.
Climate Systems
Loading ENSO tracker…
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Sri Lanka
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Sri Lanka changing?
Sri Lanka is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Sri Lanka come from?
Climate data for Sri Lanka comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Sri Lanka climate data cover?
The Sri Lanka climate profile covers Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Jaffna and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Sri Lanka
How often is the Sri Lanka climate update refreshed?
The Sri Lanka climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.