The best time to visit Weligama is January to March. At Galle, the closest station with 30-year averages, those are the only months with less than 100 mm of rain, on about 6 or 7 wet days each (WMO climate normals). On Sri Lanka Tourism’s weather page, December to February is the south-west coast’s peak season for visitors (Sri Lanka Tourism). October and May are the wettest months (WMO), in the second inter-monsoon and the south-west monsoon (Department of Meteorology). The three surf seasons we compared all cover November to March; the longest, on Love Sri Lanka’s surf map, often runs from early September to May (surf map). Love Sri Lanka puts the whale trips off Mirissa at November to April (whale page).
Key takeaways
- The driest months at Galle, 24 km west, are January to March, with 3 or 4 heavy-rain days (10 mm or more) a month.
- October brings the most rain, 345 mm on 18 days; May has 316 mm.
- All three surf seasons we compared include November to March. The longest runs from early September until May is over.
- The whale months off Mirissa are November to April, says Love Sri Lanka, and no sighting is certain.
- In June, July and August, Hambantota to the east gets 31 to 59 mm a month; Galle gets 162 to 184 mm.
Weligama weather by month: rain, surf and sea
No station with WMO averages for 1991 to 2020 stands in Weligama (WMO station list). Galle’s is the closest, 24 km west of the town as the crow flies (measured from the file’s coordinates). The rain column gives that station’s monthly average and the days with at least 1 mm. In brackets are the days with 10 mm or more, which we call heavy (WMO climate normals). The surf column counts how many of three sources have Weligama in season. On Love Sri Lanka’s surf map, the season often begins in early September and ends with May (Love Sri Lanka). Its 2020 beach page gives October to March (Love Sri Lanka). Wikivoyage’s answer for the whole south and west coast is November to April (Wikivoyage). Season names (NE and SW for the north-east and south-west monsoons) come from the Department of Meteorology (Department of Meteorology), whale months from Love Sri Lanka (Love Sri Lanka).
| Month | Rain at Galle | Surf season | Season and whales |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 87 mm, 7 days (3 heavy) | 3 of 3 | NE monsoon; whales |
| February | 71 mm, 6 days (3 heavy) | 3 of 3 | NE monsoon; whales |
| March | 90 mm, 7 days (4 heavy) | 3 of 3 | Inter-monsoon; whales |
| April | 202 mm, 12 days (6 heavy) | 2 of 3 | Inter-monsoon; last whale month |
| May | 316 mm, 17 days (8 heavy) | 1 of 3 | SW monsoon starts |
| June | 184 mm, 17 days (6 heavy) | 0 of 3 | SW monsoon |
| July | 173 mm, 15 days (5 heavy) | 0 of 3 | SW monsoon |
| August | 162 mm, 14 days (5 heavy) | 0 of 3 | SW monsoon |
| September | 261 mm, 17 days (7 heavy) | 1 of 3 | SW monsoon ends |
| October | 345 mm, 18 days (9 heavy) | 2 of 3 | Inter-monsoon; wettest month |
| November | 283 mm, 15 days (8 heavy) | 3 of 3 | Inter-monsoon; whales return |
| December | 176 mm, 11 days (5 heavy) | 3 of 3 | NE monsoon; whales |
We’d plan around the heavy days rather than the millimetres: about 3 in February, about 9 in October. Temperatures barely change: Galle’s average daily high stays between 29.0 C and 31.6 C all year (WMO climate normals). For the bay itself, see our Weligama beach guide.
The monsoons, as the Department of Meteorology dates them
A Department of Meteorology climate newsletter (November 2025) splits the year into four seasons. Two of them are monsoons: the north-east one runs from December to February, the south-west one from May to September. Between them come two inter-monsoons, in March and April and in October and November (Department of Meteorology). On Sri Lanka Tourism’s weather page, May to September brings heavy rainfall to the south-west coast and the hills. December to February, in contrast, is the high point of the tourist year on that coast, with clear skies and a calm sea (Sri Lanka Tourism). Love Sri Lanka gives the reason: from October to March the monsoon rains have shifted east, so the south coast’s sea is calm (Love Sri Lanka). GOV.UK’s swimming advice, further down, names no safe months.
Sri Lanka Tourism expects warm, humid days with afternoon thunderstorms in March and April. For October and November it expects occasional heavy showers and a sea that can be rough (Sri Lanka Tourism). At Galle, however, “occasional” undersells it: those two months average 345 mm and 283 mm (WMO climate normals).
December to April: surf, whales and the driest months
Every surf season in the table covers December to March, and the whale months run from November to April (Love Sri Lanka). Wikivoyage notes that the water off Weligama can get crowded with surfers in high season, especially beginners (Wikivoyage). The whale trips start at Mirissa harbour, about 6 km by road (route). Love Sri Lanka says the boats are out of the dock by 6am, and that even in season a sighting can’t be promised (Love Sri Lanka).
Our guide to whale watching in Mirissa compares what the operators list and charge. For snorkelling, see our Weligama snorkeling guide to the bay and nearby spots.
April is the month to weigh if you’d rather travel outside that December to February peak. It still sits inside two of the three surf seasons and the whale months. Even so, Galle’s rain more than doubles from March, to 202 mm on 12 days (WMO climate normals).
Weligama in July, August, September, October and November
Weligama in July
July sits in the middle of the south-west monsoon (Department of Meteorology), with 173 mm on about 15 days at Galle (WMO climate normals). None of the three surf seasons covers it. On the east coast, however, Wikivoyage says July and August bring Arugam Bay its best waves and biggest crowds (Wikivoyage). Our guide to surf seasons on each coast compares the two.
Weligama in August
August is still monsoon, but Galle gets less rain then than in any other month from April to December: 162 mm on 14 days, 5 of them heavy (WMO climate normals). Neither the surf seasons nor the whale months include it.
Weligama in September
September closes the south-west monsoon and is among Galle’s wettest months, with 261 mm on 17 days (WMO climate normals). Only Love Sri Lanka’s surf map starts Weligama’s season this early, often from the beginning of the month (Love Sri Lanka). The other two sources begin in October or November.
Weligama in October
October is Galle’s wettest month: 345 mm on 18 days, about 9 of them heavy (WMO climate normals). Two of the three surf sources include it. For October and November, Sri Lanka Tourism notes that the sea can be rough (Sri Lanka Tourism). For the rest of the island that month, see our Sri Lanka in October guide.
Weligama in November
November is still wet, with 283 mm on 15 days at Galle (WMO climate normals). Yet it’s the first month that all three surf sources include, and the whale months begin (Love Sri Lanka). In late November 2025 Cyclone Ditwah crossed the island.
Best time to surf in Weligama
Every season we compared covers November to March, the only months all three agree on. Love Sri Lanka’s surf map pitches Weligama at beginners. It describes small breaks that behave predictably, gentle waves and a soft bottom (Love Sri Lanka). When we checked on 16 October 2026, Surf-Forecast, a surf-data site, picked January as the likeliest month for clean waves here. For January it gave clean surf 53% of the time, blown-out surf 25% and waves too small 22% (Surf-Forecast). More experienced surfers get sent to Midigama, which Love Sri Lanka says is ten minutes away by car (Love Sri Lanka). For a lesson, our page on Weligama surf lessons compares ten schools’ lessons and listed prices.
Swimming and the sea, whatever the month
No official source we found says in which months the sea at Weligama is safe. GOV.UK’s travel advice, whose latest update is dated 21 September 2026, says rip tides or dangerous surf affect many Sri Lankan beaches at some times of year. Its advice is to check with your hotel or tour operator before you get in the water. It also links to the Royal Life Saving Society’s holiday water-safety guidance (GOV.UK). Wikivoyage’s Weligama page adds that the current is sometimes strong and unpredictable, and to swim with caution (Wikivoyage). The beach guide’s swimming section has the dated reports for this bay.
What to do in Weligama when it rains
On a wet day, pick something that doesn’t need the sea. Our Weligama cooking class runs in a family home in town: you cook traditional Sri Lankan dishes alongside local cooks, then sit down to eat them at lunch. See the page for the current price.
From June to August the drier side of the south lies to the east. Hambantota’s station, 79 km east of Weligama in a straight line, averages 41, 31 and 59 mm in those three months, on 4 to 6 wet days (WMO climate normals). It’s a coastal station, not one inside a park. Our Safari Excursion heads that way. It starts with a hotel pick-up early in the morning, then a private jeep in Udawalawe or Yala. Udawalawe’s gate is 110 km by road, usually 2 to 2.5 hours (route). Yala’s Palatupana gate is 139 km, usually 2.5 to 3.5 hours (route).
Sri Lanka Tourism includes the hills in the south-west monsoon’s heavy rain (Sri Lanka Tourism). Bandarawela, though, the closest station to Ella at about 8 km, averages 68 to 91 mm a month from June to August, then 231 to 347 mm from October to December (WMO climate normals). Ella is 174 km by road one way and 177 km the other, usually 3.5 to 4.5 hours in each direction (route). Driving times for the rest are in our day trips from Weligama guide.
Floods, cyclones and the forecast before you go
Averages don’t show the worst days. GOV.UK says monsoon rain can flood many places in Sri Lanka, and that floods can displace large numbers of people and cause injuries and occasional deaths. Heavy rain and landslips can also shut roads and disrupt local transport. GOV.UK advises monitoring the Disaster Management Centre and the Department of Meteorology, and following local advice (GOV.UK). Its update of 21 September 2026 also carries a notice about the inter-monsoon. It warns that heavy rain has made floods and landslides a greater risk across Sri Lanka, and that services, transport among them, may be disrupted. Travellers should check with their travel provider and do as local authorities advise. The notice also gives Sri Lanka Tourism’s 24-hour hotline, 1912 (GOV.UK). The notice was still there when we checked on 16 October 2026.
Cyclones are the other risk. GOV.UK says there is a risk of tropical cyclones, and to watch the Disaster Management Centre and the World Meteorological Organization for updates (GOV.UK). Cyclone Ditwah brought heavy rain to Sri Lanka during late November and early December 2025. Wikipedia counts at least 643 deaths in Sri Lanka from its rain and landslides, 234 of them in Kandy District, more than in any other (Wikipedia). For the forecast, the Department of Meteorology’s website has city forecasts, a 15-day forecast and a sea weather page (Department of Meteorology). Its El Nino update of 12 October 2026, citing NOAA, says a strong or very strong El Nino is highly likely to persist through January to March 2027 (Department of Meteorology). It doesn’t say what that means for the south coast, so check the forecast in the week you travel.
Questions about the best time to visit Weligama
What is the rainiest month in Weligama?
October, on Galle’s 30-year averages: 345 mm on 18 days. May follows with 316 mm, then November with 283 mm (WMO climate normals).
Is Weligama worth visiting in the monsoon?
In the middle of the south-west monsoon, from June to August, Galle averages 162 to 184 mm a month (WMO climate normals). Neither the surf seasons nor the whale months cover them (Love Sri Lanka). In our view it still works if you plan days out inland or to the east.
Can you surf in Weligama all year?
No source we checked puts June, July or August in Weligama’s season; the longest, Love Sri Lanka’s surf map, starts in early September (Love Sri Lanka). Those months fall in Arugam Bay’s season on the east coast, April to October by Wikivoyage’s count (Wikivoyage).
When can you see whales near Weligama?
The boats go out from Mirissa harbour, and Love Sri Lanka’s whale season runs from November to April. It adds that no month guarantees a sighting (Love Sri Lanka).
Plan your Weligama dates with us
Oura Travel works from Weligama and plans private trips by car, each with its own driver-guide. Message us with your dates and what you want from the coast, whether surf, the whale boats or days inland. We’ll suggest how to fit them around the season.
Rain figures are WMO averages for 1991 to 2020, so any single month can be much wetter or drier. We read every linked page and ran the road routes on 16 October 2026; check the forecast and the travel advice again before you go.
