Federation for Environment, Climate and Technology

22/09/2026

From 14–20 September, air quality across Sri Lanka was generally in the ‘Good’ to ‘Moderate’ range. Air masses entered Sri Lanka mainly from the southwestern direction.

Weekly Air Quality Ranking:

The monitored locations with the highest weekly average AQI values were:

Battaramulla – 65
Akurana - 64
Digana - 61
Chilaw - 61
Anuradhapura - 61
Chilaw recorded the highest daily average AQI of 89 during the week, which falls within the ‘Moderate’ category.

Based on the weekly average AQI, Akurana, Digana, Mirihana, Battaramulla, Puttalam, Chilaw, Jaffna and Anuradhapura were in the ‘Moderate’ category, while Nuwara Eliya, Colombo, Kurunegala, Negombo, Kalawana, Ambalantota, Mannar, and Trincomalee were in the ‘Good’ category.

Weekly Air Quality Index (AQI) Levels:

Moderate (AQI 51–100): Akurana, Digana, Mirihana, Battaramulla, Puttalam, Chilaw, Jaffna, Anuradhapura
Good (AQI 0–50): Nuwara Eliya, Colombo, Kurunegala, Negombo, Kalawana, Ambalantota, Mannar, Trincomalee.
Read more: https://fect.lk/air-quality/

22/09/2026

Average Maximum Temperature (09–15 September 2026)

From 09–15 September, the highest temperatures ranged between 34.8°C and 35.5°C. The Eastern Plains recorded the highest average maximum temperature, at 35.5°C. Temperatures across the Northern and Eastern Plains remained relatively high, with Polonnaruwa reaching the highest reading of 39.3°C on 12 September. This was mainly caused by warm winds blowing over these areas. For comparison, the typical average maximum temperature for September in Sri Lanka is 30.0°C.

Average Minimum Temperature (09–15 September 2026)

From 09–15 September, the lowest temperatures ranged between 18.3°C and 26.1°C. The Northern and Western Plains recorded the highest average minimum temperatures, with Galle reaching the highest reading of 28.3°C and Mannar reaching 28.1°C on 10 September. The Western Hills recorded the lowest average minimum temperature, with Nuwara Eliya reaching the lowest reading of 11.7°C on 10 September. For comparison, the typical average minimum temperature for September in Sri Lanka is 24.0°C.

18/09/2026

Monitoring:
Rainfall: After a dry week, rainfall picked up on 13 Sep with daily average reaching 16 mm. However, Southwest areas received heavy rainfall with Galle reaching 132 mm. Nearby areas also received moderate rainfall, with Ratmalana reaching 62 mm on 14 Sep and Katunayaka reaching 59 mm on 12 Sep. During 9-15 Sep, the average daily rainfall across SL was 6 mm. Wind: From 7 - 13 Sep 2026, winds at 1.5 km elevation were mostly from the West at speeds of 6-8 m/s. Temperature: Several cities of Eastern and Northern Plains had extremely high maximum temperatures exceeding 38°C. Polonnaruwa had the highest temperature of 39.3°C on 12 September and 38.9°C on 11 September. The warmest regions were: Eastern Plains with an average maximum temperature of 35.5°C & Northern Plains with an average maximum temperature of 34.8°C. The coldest region was the Western Hills with an average minimum temperature of 19.7°C.

Predictions:
Rainfall: From 15-21 Sep, the US NOAA Climate Prediction Center predicts that the average rainfall across SL shall range from 25-125 mm. During this period, Southern and Western Plains are predicted to receive rainfall of 105-125 mm; Eastern and Western Hills are predicted to receive 55-105 mm; Northern and Eastern Plains are predicted to receive 25-55 mm. According to CCSR/IRI Multi-Model Probability prediction, there is a 50% likelihood of SL receiving higher-than-normal tercile rainfall during October-December. Wind: From 16–22 Sep 2026, winds are predicted to slow down to 4-8 m/s, arriving mainly from the westerly directions including Northwest & Southwest.

El Niño Event:
El Niño conditions continue to prevail across the equatorial Pacific Ocean (Niño 3.4 region). Currently, sea surface temperature (SST) in the Niño 3.4 region is 2.7°C above average. Indian Ocean (IO) SST: The IO Dipole Mode Index (DMI) is at +0.11°C, indicating neutral IO Dipole conditions. Positive dipole event is identified at DMI > 0.4. According to CCSR/IRI climate forecasts, there is an 80-90% probability of a positive IOD from September through December 2026.

16/09/2026

From 07– 13 September, ‘Good’ and ‘Moderate’ air quality conditions were observed across Sri Lanka. Air masses entered Sri Lanka mainly from the southwestern direction. Akurana recorded the highest daily average AQI value of 90, which falls within the ‘Moderate’ category.

When considering the weekly average AQI values, Akurana, Digana, Nuwara Eliya, Mirihana, Kurunegala, Battaramulla, Puttalam, Chilaw, Kalawana, Mannar, Trincomalee, Jaffna, and Anuradhapura recorded ‘Moderate’ weekly average AQI values, while the other monitored areas recorded ‘Good’ weekly average AQI values.

Weekly Air Quality Index (AQI) Levels:

Moderate (AQI 51-100): Akurana, Digana, Nuwara Eliya, Mirihana, Kurunegala, Battaramulla, Puttalam, Chilaw, Kalawana, Mannar, Trincomalee, Jaffna, Anuradhapura
Good (AQI 0-50): Colombo, Negombo, Ambalantota.
Read more: https://fect.lk/air-quality/

11/09/2026

We are pleased to share that we have posted a new YouTube video today, providing an update on recent and expected weather conditions in Sri Lanka.

Take a moment to watch and reflect:

Video Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzeVlYsWO1U&list=PL7wc32Pt_pL1IbCJi1_Z2W4QSe9odXAKr

If you find it meaningful, please like, share, comment, and subscribe to help spread awareness further. Every action counts!

🌦️ Sri Lanka Weather Forecast (11 - 17 Sep 2026) | Rainfall, Temper...

11/09/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠:
𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥: SL received above average rainfall (for September) from 1-9 Sep, with daily rainfall averages ranging from 4-9 mm. During 2-8 Sep, the average daily rainfall across SL was 1.5 mm. The highest daily rainfall was at Bandarawela on 3 Sep (71 mm) and at Ratmalana on 6 Sep (17 mm ). 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝: From 31 Aug - 6 Sep 2026, winds at 1.5 km elevation were mostly from the Northwest and West at speeds of 8 - 10 m/s. 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Several cities of Eastern and Northern Plains had extremely high maximum temperatures exceeding 35°C. Polonnaruwa had the highest temperature of 38.7°C on 4 September and 38.6°C on 6 September. The warmest regions were: Eastern Plains with an average maximum temperature of 36.3°C & Western Plains with an average maximum temperature of 32.1°C. The coldest region was: The Eastern Hills had an average minimum temperature of 19.7°C.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥: From 8-14 Sep, the US NOAA Climate Prediction Center predicts that the average rainfall across SL shall range from 15-85 mm. During this period, Southern and Western Plains are predicted to receive rainfall of 55-85 mm; Eastern and Western Hills are predicted to receive 35-55 mm; Northern and Eastern Plains are predicted to receive 15-35 mm. According to CCSR/IRI Multi-Model Probability prediction, there is a 50% likelihood of SL receiving higher-than-normal rainfall during September-November, increasing to 60% during October-December.Wind: From 9-16 Sep, wind speeds are predicted to be 4-8 m/s from the Northwest & Southwest.

𝐄𝐥 𝐍𝐢𝐧̃𝐨 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭:
El Niño conditions continue to prevail across the equatorial Pacific Ocean (Niño 3.4 region). Currently, sea surface temperature (SST) in the Niño 3.4 region is 2.7°C above average. Indian Ocean (IO) SST: The IO Dipole Mode Index (DMI) is at +0.11°C, indicating neutral IO Dipole conditions. Positive dipole event is identified at DMI = 0.4. According to CCSR/IRI climate forecasts, there is an 80-90% possibility of a positive IOD from September through December 2026.

09/09/2026

From 31 August–06 September, ‘Good’ and ‘Moderate’ air quality conditions were observed across Sri Lanka. Air masses entered Sri Lanka mainly from the southwestern direction. Akurana recorded the highest daily average AQI value of 71, which falls within the ‘Moderate’ category.

When considering the weekly average AQI values, Akurana, Digana, Nuwara Eliya, Mirihana, Battaramulla, Kalawana, Jaffna and Anuradhapura recorded ‘Moderate’ weekly average AQI values, while the other monitored areas recorded ‘Good’ weekly average AQI values.

Weekly Air Quality Index (AQI) Levels:

Moderate (AQI 51-100): Akurana, Digana, Nuwara Eliya, Mirihana, Battaramulla, Kalawana, Jaffna, Anuradhapura
Good (AQI 0-50): Colombo, Kurunegala, Negombo, Puttalam, Chilaw, Ambalantota, Mannar, Trincomalee.
Read more: https://fect.lk/air-quality/

04/09/2026

The latest FECT LK climate and weather update is now available on YouTube.
If you find our updates valuable, we kindly invite you to:
👍 Like | 💬 Comment | 📤 Share | 🔔 Subscribe
Latest Update: https://youtu.be/BkTk6Z-RU0E?si=N6Eivg9TH-RplHsm

🌦️ Sri Lanka Weather Forecast (4 - 11 Sep 2026) | Rainfall, Tempera...

04/09/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠:
𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹: SL was relatively dry from 10-31 Aug with daily rainfall averaged over the island ranging from 1-5 mm. During 26 Aug - 1 Sep, the average daily rainfall across SL was 2 mm. The highest daily rainfall was in Ratnapura - 33 mm on 1 Sep and Galle - 31 mm on 26 Aug. Wind: From 24-30 Aug 2026, winds at a height of 1.5 km were mostly from the Northwest at 10-15 m/s. Temperature: Several cities of Eastern and Northern Plains had extremely high maximum temperatures exceeding 35°C. Polonnaruwa had the highest temperature of 39.2°C on 01 September and 38.4°C on 31 August. The Eastern Plains had an average maximum temperature of 36.0°C & Western Plains had an average maximum temperature of 31.1°C. The Eastern Hills had an average minimum temperature of 19.4°C.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹:From 1-7 Sep: the US NOAA Climate Prediction Center predicts that the average rainfall across SL shall range from 0-65 mm. During this period: Eastern Plains are predicted to receive rainfall of 45-65 mm; Eastern Hills are predicted to receive 25-45 mm; Western Hills and Northern, Eastern, Western Plains are predicted to receive 0-25 mm. According to CCSR/IRI Multi-Model Probability prediction, there is a 50% likelihood of SL receiving higher-than-normal rainfall during September-November, increasing to 60% during October-December.Wind: From 2-8 Sep, wind speeds are predicted to be 4-8 m/s from the Northwest & Southwest.

𝐄𝐥 𝐍𝐢𝐧̃𝐨 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭:
El Niño conditions continue to prevail across the equatorial Pacific Ocean (Niño 3.4 region). Currently, sea surface temperature in the Niño 3.4 region is around 2.7°C above average. Meanwhile, the Dipole Mode Index (DMI) is at +0.11°C, indicating neutral IOD (Indian Ocean Dipole) conditions - a positive dipole event is identified at DMI = 0.4. According to IRI climate forecasts, there is about a 80-90% possibility of a positive IOD conditions from September through December 2026.

01/09/2026

From 24–30 August, ‘Good’ and ‘Moderate’ air quality conditions were observed across Sri Lanka. Air masses entered Sri Lanka mainly from the southwestern direction. Akurana recorded the highest daily average AQI value of 64, which falls within the ‘Moderate’ category.

When considering the weekly average AQI values, Akurana, Digana, Battaramulla, Chilaw, Kalawana, and Jaffna recorded ‘Moderate’ weekly average AQI values, while the other monitored areas recorded ‘Good’ weekly average AQI values.

Weekly Air Quality Index (AQI) Levels:

Moderate (AQI 51-100): Akurana, Digana, Battaramulla, Chilaw, Kalawana, Jaffna
Good (AQI 0-50): Nuwara Eliya, Colombo, Kurunegala, Mirihana, Negombo, Puttalam, Ambalantota, Mannar, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura.
Read more: https://fect.lk/air-quality/