Weligama Weather in December: Rain, Sea, Surf Lessons

What is Weligama weather like in December?

Quick answer: Warm, with some showers. December is the first full month of the south-west coast's peak season, when Sri Lanka Tourism describes clear skies and calm seas. Matara District, which includes Weligama, averages 200.3 mm of rain in December, about 40 percent less than November. The nearest long-term station, Galle, shows highs near 30 C and about 11 days with a measurable shower. December is a good month for beginner surf lessons, but January to March is drier.

This page answers one question: what will December feel like in Weligama? Our Weligama destination page covers the bay, sights, trains and sampled lesson prices from 17 October. If you are still choosing between bases, read Weligama vs Mirissa vs Tangalle. For the whole month across the island, see Sri Lanka in December.

How much does it rain in Weligama in December?

Weligama has no weather station of its own. We use two official sets of numbers: the Matara District average from the Department of Meteorology, and the Galle station in the WMO normals. Galle is the nearest long-term record, about 29 km west of Weligama along the railway line, so read it as a guide, not an exact match.

What this means in plain words: in a typical December about one day in three has some rain (11.2 of 31), but only about one day in seven brings 10 mm or more. Showers are common, and long soaking days are not. Heat stays steady: highs near 30 C, nights near 24 C.

For a 7-night stay, scale the Galle numbers by 7 over 31. That is our own arithmetic, not an official forecast:

• Days with 1 mm or more: about 2.5 (11.2 x 7 / 31).
• Days with 10 mm or more: about 1 (4.7 x 7 / 31).

So a typical week has two or three days with a shower and one properly wet day, but your own week can be wetter or drier than the average.

Is December wetter or drier than January to March in Weligama?

This is the table that decides whether to move your dates. It uses the same Galle station, month by month.

Source: WMO 1991 to 2020 climate normals, Galle station.

Reading the table:

• December has nearly twice as many rain days as January or February. The step down from December to January is the biggest one in the table.
• Heat rises from February to March. March has 28.9 days a month with highs of 30 C or more, so it is the hottest of the four. Drier weather comes with more heat.
• December is not a wet month by south coast standards. The months with the most rain days at Galle on the same record are October (18.2) and May (17.2).

If your dates are fixed by school holidays, December works. If they are flexible and rain is your main worry, aim for January or February. For month detail on the south-west monsoon, see our monsoon seasons guide.

Is the sea calm enough for beginner surf lessons in December?

For beginners, usually yes. The Southern Province tourist bureau describes Weligama Beach as known for beginner-friendly waves and a calm bay, and gives November to March as the best time for surf lessons. Sri Lanka Tourism describes December to February on this coast as "peak tourist season on the southwest coast. Clear skies, calm seas". We found no official wave-height data for Weligama, so we cannot tell you how big the sea will be.

What we can compare is how two schools say they handle a day when the sea is not right. These are quotes from the schools' own websites, read on 24 October 2026.

A lesson price is a sample from one day, not a December rate. The point of the table is the last column. In a month when a squall can come through, a school that says "reschedule or refund" and one that takes payment only on the day both give you a way not to lose money. Ask whichever school you choose to confirm its terms in a message.

A simple budget with these October prices: five group lessons at Party Wave come to LKR 25,000 per person, and five private lessons to LKR 30,000. If you rent a board for one extra hour after each of five lessons, add LKR 5,000.

What is it like in Weligama over Christmas and New Year?

We can give you dates and demand facts, not a Weligama crowd count.

The December arrivals figure is for the whole island. It tells you demand is high, not that Weligama is crowded. Hotels on the south coast fill first at Christmas and some resorts add compulsory dinners on 24 and 31 December, as covered in our December guide. Ask any guesthouse whether a dinner or supplement applies to your nights.

What can you do in Weligama when it rains?

The bureau lists a few things beyond surfing: the Kushtarajagala statue, an 8th-century rock carving that is free to visit and open daily, stilt fishermen at dawn or dusk, Taprobane Island, which it says is reachable on foot at low tide, and quieter beaches such as Midigama. Wading to Taprobane does not give you the right to enter a private island, so ask locally before you go.

For a wet afternoon, our south coast yoga guide names two Weligama studios with details from their own sites. Galle and Unawatuna are along the line to the west, and Mirissa is the whale harbour to the east. For the wider region, start with the south coast guide.

Can you go whale watching from Weligama in December?

Yes, from Mirissa, which is under 5 km from Weligama on the railway. The Sri Lanka Navy says its southern cruises run from Galle from November to April. Private boats set their own schedules, trips can be cancelled in rough weather, and sightings are never guaranteed, so keep a spare day. Our whale watching guide covers how to choose a responsible operator.

What does this page not tell you?

• It does not give wave heights, water temperature or a Weligama crowd count. We found no official source.
• It does not give weekly rain, only monthly averages and counts.
• It does not give a December price for lessons or rooms. Lesson prices are from 24 October 2026, and we did not check room prices.
• It does not recommend a school. The two on this page are dated samples.