Polonnaruwa Temperature by Month
The average annual maximum temperature in Polonnaruwa, Polonnaruwa District, Sri Lanka is 34°C (93°F), with little variation between seasons. This page covers monthly averages, day-night differences, and how Polonnaruwa compares to cities worldwide.
Polonnaruwa Monthly Temperatures
The temperature in Polonnaruwa changes very little across the seasons, maintaining a similar climate throughout the year. Maximum daytime temperatures range from a comfortable 30°C (86°F) in January to a very hot 36°C (97°F) in May. Nighttime lows range from 26°C (79°F) in May to 22°C (72°F) in January.
The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Polonnaruwa by month:
Daily lows are most common between 4 AM and 6 AM. By 3 PM temperatures reach their daily high, driven by peak solar heating.
The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:
Daily Historical Temperatures
42-year average (1976-2025)
Average high and low temperatures for each day of the month based on long-term records.
Average temperatures in July
Historical Polonnaruwa Temperatures: 1976-2026
Browse day-by-day temperature records for Polonnaruwa spanning 51 years. Select any month and year to see actual high and low temperatures recorded on each day.
Temperature: Polonnaruwa vs Sri Lanka
The map below shows the annual temperature across Sri Lanka. You can also select individual months if you want to compare a specific time of year.
very warm
warm
pleasant
moderate
cold
very cold
Polonnaruwa vs World: Temperature Compared
Polonnaruwa's average annual maximum temperature is 34°C (93°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:
Barcelona, Spain has an annual average of around 21°C (70°F), with warm summers and mild, fairly short winters.
Glasgow, Scotland averages 13°C (55°F) a year — mild but often grey, with cold winters and rarely hot summers.
Boston, USA averages 16°C (61°F) annually, with four distinct seasons and cold winters that rival northern Europe.
Brisbane, Australia averages 26°C (79°F) a year, with warm winters and hot, humid summers.
Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.
The readings come from a range of sources — land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.
Seasonal temperature shifts influence more than just how warm it feels — they also drive changes in rainfall, cloud cover, and wind patterns throughout the year.
Warmer air holds more moisture, which tends to mean heavier or more frequent rain during the warmer months. When temperatures drop in winter, any precipitation that does fall is more likely to come as snow or sleet, though in Polonnaruwa this rarely lasts long on the ground.
For more on Polonnaruwa's weather — including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity — visit our Polonnaruwa climate page.
