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With the England
cricket team currently touring Sri Lanka, the "Pearl of the
Orient" is even more popular as a long-haul destination this
year.
Its popularity is partly due to its hot and humid climate, which
tends to be modified by the coastal sea breezes.
These make the coastal areas much more pleasant and a mecca for
sun-worshippers, as well as the Barmy Army.
As Sri
Lanka lies close to the equator, it can feel very uncomfortable
at times.
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| Sea breezes
make the Sri Lanka's coast cooler |
Air temperatures
are not that extreme, 36 Celsius (96F) is the highest ever recorded
on the island, but are often accompanied by a humidity of 70 percent
or more.
This makes any great exertion difficult, particularly inland.
England’s cricketers did remarkably well to cope with the extreme
conditions they experienced in Kandy, with afternoon temperatures
of 33
Celsius (91F).
Conditions in Colombo are likely to be little changed.
Due to the unstable political situation in the country, only the
south and southwestern portions of Sri Lanka are safe for tourists.
These areas receive a good deal of rain from the southwesterly monsoon
which generally affects the island between May and November.
Within this period there are a couple of rainfall ‘peaks’ - May
and June and again between October and November.
The October rainfall in Colombo, for example, is more than three
times that of Bristol.
Of course much of the island’s rainfall comes in the form of heavy,
thundery afternoon downpours.
But during this period, unsettled, mainly cloudy weather can last
for two or three days at a time.
Probably the best time to visit Sri Lanka is during January and
February, when rainfall is at its lowest and there are most hours
of sunshine.
But do be aware of just how quickly tropical sunshine can burn.
All the usual warnings apply here - avoid the midday sun, use a
high-factor sun block and always wear a sunhat.
Sunstroke is no fun, no matter how exotic the location!
For the latest five day forecast for Sri Lanka check out the
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Motorway
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