Colombo vs Malé: which is sunnier?
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka vs 🇲🇻 Maldives · 778 km apart · long-term climate normals (NASA POWER, 2001–2020)
Colombo is the sunnier overall: about 2,876 hours of sunshine a year to Malé's 2,713. Malé has the higher Sunshine Score in 4 of 12 months, Colombo in 2 (6 within 2 points).
Scores are the 0–100 Sunshine Score — sunshine, daytime warmth and dryness in one number, per month.
At a glance
| Colombo | Malé | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine hours / year | 2,876 | 2,713 |
| Sunniest month | February (83/100) | February (88/100) |
| Nov–Feb average score | 75/100 | 77/100 |
| Jun–Aug average score | 74/100 | 67/100 |
| Rain / year | 2,001 mm | 1,723 mm |
| Warmest sea | 32°C / 90°F | 31°C / 88°F |
| Peak midday UV | 12 (extreme) | 13 (extreme) |
Colombo vs Malé month by month
| Month | Sunshine Score | Day high °C | Rain mm | Sea °C | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo | Malé | Colombo | Malé | Colombo | Malé | Colombo | Malé | |
| January | 82 | 85 | 29° | 28° | 76 | 53 | 29° | 29° |
| February | 83 | 88 | 31° | 28° | 71 | 37 | 30° | 29° |
| March | 75 | 86 | 31° | 28° | 115 | 50 | 31° | 31° |
| April | 68 | 77 | 31° | 29° | 226 | 98 | 32° | 31° |
| May | 68 | 67 | 30° | 29° | 224 | 191 | 31° | 31° |
| June | 70 | 68 | 29° | 29° | 143 | 148 | 29° | 30° |
| July | 78 | 67 | 28° | 28° | 99 | 165 | 30° | 31° |
| August | 75 | 67 | 28° | 28° | 113 | 193 | 29° | 30° |
| September | 68 | 67 | 29° | 28° | 162 | 185 | 30° | 30° |
| October | 68 | 67 | 29° | 28° | 292 | 186 | 29° | 29° |
| November | 68 | 67 | 29° | 28° | 305 | 233 | 30° | 30° |
| December | 68 | 67 | 29° | 28° | 175 | 184 | 29° | 30° |
The sunnier month by month: Jan Malé · Feb Malé · Mar Malé · Apr Malé · May even · Jun even · Jul Colombo · Aug Colombo · Sep even · Oct even · Nov even · Dec even.
When to pick which
- November–February: too close to call — Colombo averages 75/100, Malé 77/100. Colombo is the warmer, around 30°C daytime highs vs 28°C. See the winter sun ranking.
- March–May: Malé (average score 77/100 vs 70). Colombo is the warmer, around 31°C daytime highs vs 29°C.
- June–August: Colombo (average score 74/100 vs 67). Daytime highs are similar (28°C vs 28°C).
- September–October: too close to call — Colombo averages 68/100, Malé 67/100. Daytime highs are similar (29°C vs 28°C).
Sea temperature
Colombo's sea gets warmer: 32°C / 90°F at its peak vs 31°C. Swimmable water (21°C+): Colombo all year, Malé all year. Month-by-month sea temperatures are in the table above.
Full month-by-month guides: Colombo weather by month · Malé weather by month.
More comparisons: Colombo vs Kochi · Colombo vs Tiruchirappalli · Colombo vs Thiruvananthapuram · Malé vs Kochi · Malé vs Thiruvananthapuram · Malé vs Denpasar · all head-to-heads