Anuradhapura weather in January

In January, Anuradhapura sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 73 mm of rain across 11 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Anuradhapura's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Anuradhapura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
11th warmest
Overnight low
22°
1st coldest
Rainfall
73 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:31 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
65%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Anuradhapura is city in North Central Province, Sri Lanka.

Density
8/km²
people per km²
Founded
~450 BCE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Anuradhapura reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12822
22822
32822
42822
52822
62822
72822
82822
92822
102822
112822
122922
132922
142922
152921
162921
172921
182921
192921
202921
212921
222921
232921
242921
252921
262921
272921
282921
292921
302921
312921

How January really feels in Anuradhapura

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Anuradhapura weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 22°731111.65.4
Feb30° / 22°508.111.75.0
Mar33° / 23°498.711.93.7
Apr33° / 25°12217.312.22.7
May33° / 25°8715.712.43.1
Jun32° / 25°3911.712.53.6
Jul32° / 25°4311.112.43.5
Aug32° / 25°5612.412.33.4
Sep32° / 25°7415123.2
Oct31° / 24°19921.511.83.1
Nov30° / 23°23423.111.63.5
Dec29° / 22°16317.711.54.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34258
44258
54258
64357
74357
84357
94357
104456
114456
124456
134456
144456
154456
164555
174456
184456
194357
204456
214357
224357
234357
244357
254357
264357
274456
284456
294555
304456
314654

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Anuradhapura gets around 73 mm of rain over 11 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 36% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
247
346
446
546
645
745
844
943
1042
1141
1240
1339
1437
1535
1634
1732
1831
1930
2029
2128
2228
2328
2428
2528
2628
2729
2829
2930
3031
3131

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1232651
2232651
3232651
4232660
5332650
6332650
7332650
8333640
9333640
10434620
11435610
12436600
13437590
14439570
15440560
16442540
17543520
18544510
19545500
20547480
21547480
22548470
23548470
24548470
25548470
26547480
27546490
28545500
29544510
30543520
31642520

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:26 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:265:57
211.56:265:58
311.56:275:58
411.56:275:59
511.56:275:59
611.56:286:00
711.56:286:00
811.56:286:01
911.56:296:01
1011.56:296:02
1111.56:296:02
1211.66:306:03
1311.66:306:03
1411.66:306:04
1511.66:306:04
1611.66:316:05
1711.66:316:05
1811.66:316:05
1911.66:316:06
2011.66:326:06
2111.66:326:07
2211.66:326:07
2311.66:326:08
2411.66:326:08
2511.66:326:08
2611.66:326:09
2711.66:326:09
2811.66:336:10
2911.66:336:10
3011.66:336:10
3111.66:336:11

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.8 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Moderate
34.0Bright
44.0Bright
54.0Bright
64.1Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Anuradhapura

In seasonPeak

None of Anuradhapura's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Anuradhapura sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Anuradhapura's rainy season runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Anuradhapura?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.4
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Anuradhapura for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Anuradhapura in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Anuradhapura sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Anuradhapura in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 69 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Anuradhapura in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Anuradhapura peaks around April 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 22UV 13Dec 21UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Anuradhapura in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Anuradhapura is worst in April — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (July, 19 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 1830 µg/m³Jul 2319 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr31Moderate
May28Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Anuradhapura?

Anuradhapura sits at 8.3°N, 80.4°E, 100 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Vavuniya, 50 km away.

VavuniyaSigiriyaDambullaPuttalamPolonnaruwaKurunegalaTrincomaleeMannar

Topography around Anuradhapura

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Anuradhapura.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Anuradhapura has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 35 m around an average of 91 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 317 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 m.

The land around Anuradhapura is covered by trees (60%) within 3 km, trees (59%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
35 m
16 km
317 m
80 km
1,165 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Vavuniya 50 km · Sigiriya 55 km · Dambulla 57 km · Puttalam 71 km · Polonnaruwa 77 km · Kurunegala 92 km · Trincomalee 94 km · Mannar 96 km

Sri Lanka travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 27% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,002
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
47%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.3
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
19.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 486
Religion
Buddhist 70%Hindu 13%Muslim 10%Roman Catholic 6%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Anuradhapura (8.3122°, 80.4131°, elevation 100 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).