Colombo weather in January
In January, Colombo sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 53 mm of rain across 7.9 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Colombo's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colombo's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 30°
- 4th warmest
- Overnight low
- 24°
- 1st coldest
- Rainfall
- 53 mm
- 7.9 wet days
- Daylight
- 11 h 36 min
- 6:31 AM – 6:09 PM
- Cloud cover
- 56%
- 3rd clearest
- Wind
- 16 km/h
- 6th windiest
- Solar energy
- 5.54 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 5.3
- out of 10
Colombo is largest city and de facto capital of Sri Lanka.
- Air quality
- Elevated
- PM2.5 23.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Temperature in January
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.
A typical January day in Colombo reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Avg low (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | 24 |
| 2 | 30 | 24 |
| 3 | 30 | 24 |
| 4 | 30 | 24 |
| 5 | 30 | 24 |
| 6 | 30 | 24 |
| 7 | 30 | 24 |
| 8 | 30 | 24 |
| 9 | 30 | 24 |
| 10 | 30 | 24 |
| 11 | 30 | 24 |
| 12 | 30 | 24 |
| 13 | 30 | 24 |
| 14 | 30 | 24 |
| 15 | 30 | 24 |
| 16 | 30 | 24 |
| 17 | 30 | 24 |
| 18 | 30 | 24 |
| 19 | 30 | 24 |
| 20 | 30 | 24 |
| 21 | 30 | 24 |
| 22 | 30 | 24 |
| 23 | 30 | 24 |
| 24 | 30 | 24 |
| 25 | 30 | 24 |
| 26 | 30 | 24 |
| 27 | 30 | 24 |
| 28 | 30 | 24 |
| 29 | 30 | 24 |
| 30 | 30 | 25 |
| 31 | 30 | 25 |
How January really feels in Colombo
Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.
The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Colombo weather by month
How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30° / 24° | 53 | 7.9 | 11.6 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 30° / 25° | 54 | 7.8 | 11.8 | 5.1 |
| Mar | 30° / 26° | 75 | 14.9 | 12 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 30° / 26° | 166 | 24.8 | 12.1 | 3.2 |
| May | 30° / 27° | 279 | 28.9 | 12.3 | 2.9 |
| Jun | 29° / 26° | 243 | 26.8 | 12.4 | 3.2 |
| Jul | 28° / 26° | 183 | 24.4 | 12.4 | 3.7 |
| Aug | 28° / 26° | 168 | 23.7 | 12.2 | 3.9 |
| Sep | 28° / 26° | 223 | 24.5 | 12 | 3.7 |
| Oct | 29° / 25° | 326 | 26 | 11.8 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 29° / 25° | 307 | 23.7 | 11.7 | 3.6 |
| Dec | 29° / 25° | 164 | 15.9 | 11.6 | 4.6 |
Cloud cover in January
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in January.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 51 | 52 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 53 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 53 | 53 | 54 | 54 |
| Cloudier (%) | 49 | 48 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 46 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51 | 49 |
| 2 | 52 | 48 |
| 3 | 53 | 47 |
| 4 | 53 | 47 |
| 5 | 53 | 47 |
| 6 | 53 | 47 |
| 7 | 53 | 47 |
| 8 | 53 | 47 |
| 9 | 53 | 47 |
| 10 | 52 | 48 |
| 11 | 52 | 48 |
| 12 | 52 | 48 |
| 13 | 52 | 48 |
| 14 | 52 | 48 |
| 15 | 52 | 48 |
| 16 | 52 | 48 |
| 17 | 52 | 48 |
| 18 | 52 | 48 |
| 19 | 52 | 48 |
| 20 | 52 | 48 |
| 21 | 51 | 49 |
| 22 | 51 | 49 |
| 23 | 52 | 48 |
| 24 | 52 | 48 |
| 25 | 52 | 48 |
| 26 | 52 | 48 |
| 27 | 52 | 48 |
| 28 | 53 | 47 |
| 29 | 53 | 47 |
| 30 | 54 | 46 |
| 31 | 54 | 46 |
Chance of precipitation in January
Colombo gets around 53 mm of rain over 7.9 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 26% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 34 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 34 |
| 2 | 33 |
| 3 | 33 |
| 4 | 32 |
| 5 | 32 |
| 6 | 31 |
| 7 | 31 |
| 8 | 30 |
| 9 | 30 |
| 10 | 29 |
| 11 | 28 |
| 12 | 27 |
| 13 | 27 |
| 14 | 26 |
| 15 | 25 |
| 16 | 24 |
| 17 | 23 |
| 18 | 23 |
| 19 | 22 |
| 20 | 22 |
| 21 | 21 |
| 22 | 21 |
| 23 | 21 |
| 24 | 21 |
| 25 | 22 |
| 26 | 22 |
| 27 | 23 |
| 28 | 23 |
| 29 | 24 |
| 30 | 24 |
| 31 | 25 |
Humidity in January
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 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humid (%) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Muggy (%) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 |
| Oppressive (%) | 69 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 69 | 69 | 68 | 68 | 67 | 66 | 65 | 63 | 62 | 60 | 59 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 57 | 56 | 56 | 58 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 |
| Miserable (%) | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 24 | 69 | 5 |
| 2 | 2 | 24 | 69 | 5 |
| 3 | 3 | 24 | 69 | 4 |
| 4 | 3 | 24 | 69 | 4 |
| 5 | 3 | 24 | 69 | 4 |
| 6 | 3 | 24 | 70 | 3 |
| 7 | 3 | 24 | 70 | 3 |
| 8 | 4 | 24 | 70 | 2 |
| 9 | 4 | 25 | 69 | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | 25 | 69 | 2 |
| 11 | 4 | 26 | 68 | 2 |
| 12 | 4 | 27 | 68 | 1 |
| 13 | 4 | 28 | 67 | 1 |
| 14 | 4 | 29 | 66 | 1 |
| 15 | 4 | 30 | 65 | 1 |
| 16 | 4 | 32 | 63 | 1 |
| 17 | 4 | 33 | 62 | 1 |
| 18 | 5 | 34 | 60 | 1 |
| 19 | 5 | 35 | 59 | 1 |
| 20 | 4 | 36 | 59 | 1 |
| 21 | 4 | 37 | 58 | 1 |
| 22 | 4 | 38 | 57 | 1 |
| 23 | 4 | 38 | 57 | 1 |
| 24 | 4 | 38 | 56 | 2 |
| 25 | 4 | 38 | 56 | 2 |
| 26 | 3 | 37 | 58 | 2 |
| 27 | 3 | 37 | 58 | 2 |
| 28 | 3 | 36 | 59 | 2 |
| 29 | 3 | 35 | 60 | 2 |
| 30 | 3 | 34 | 61 | 2 |
| 31 | 3 | 33 | 62 | 2 |
Wind in January
Winds average 16 km/h in January.
Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | light breeze |
| 2 | 17 | light breeze |
| 3 | 17 | light breeze |
| 4 | 17 | light breeze |
| 5 | 17 | light breeze |
| 6 | 17 | light breeze |
| 7 | 17 | light breeze |
| 8 | 17 | light breeze |
| 9 | 17 | light breeze |
| 10 | 17 | light breeze |
| 11 | 17 | light breeze |
| 12 | 17 | light breeze |
| 13 | 16 | light breeze |
| 14 | 16 | light breeze |
| 15 | 16 | light breeze |
| 16 | 16 | light breeze |
| 17 | 16 | light breeze |
| 18 | 16 | light breeze |
| 19 | 16 | light breeze |
| 20 | 16 | light breeze |
| 21 | 16 | light breeze |
| 22 | 16 | light breeze |
| 23 | 16 | light breeze |
| 24 | 16 | light breeze |
| 25 | 16 | light breeze |
| 26 | 16 | light breeze |
| 27 | 15 | light breeze |
| 28 | 15 | light breeze |
| 29 | 15 | light breeze |
| 30 | 15 | light breeze |
| 31 | 15 | light breeze |
Sunrise & sunset in January
Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 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 6:02 PM to 6:15 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:26 | 6:26 | 6:26 | 6:27 | 6:27 | 6:28 | 6:28 | 6:28 | 6:29 | 6:29 | 6:29 | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:30 | 6:31 | 6:31 | 6:31 | 6:31 | 6:31 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:32 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:33 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:02 | 6:02 | 6:03 | 6:03 | 6:04 | 6:04 | 6:05 | 6:05 | 6:06 | 6:06 | 6:07 | 6:07 | 6:08 | 6:08 | 6:09 | 6:09 | 6:09 | 6:10 | 6:10 | 6:11 | 6:11 | 6:12 | 6:12 | 6:12 | 6:13 | 6:13 | 6:13 | 6:14 | 6:14 | 6:14 | 6:15 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11.6 | 6:26 | 6:02 |
| 2 | 11.6 | 6:26 | 6:02 |
| 3 | 11.6 | 6:26 | 6:03 |
| 4 | 11.6 | 6:27 | 6:03 |
| 5 | 11.6 | 6:27 | 6:04 |
| 6 | 11.6 | 6:28 | 6:04 |
| 7 | 11.6 | 6:28 | 6:05 |
| 8 | 11.6 | 6:28 | 6:05 |
| 9 | 11.6 | 6:29 | 6:06 |
| 10 | 11.6 | 6:29 | 6:06 |
| 11 | 11.6 | 6:29 | 6:07 |
| 12 | 11.6 | 6:30 | 6:07 |
| 13 | 11.6 | 6:30 | 6:08 |
| 14 | 11.6 | 6:30 | 6:08 |
| 15 | 11.6 | 6:31 | 6:09 |
| 16 | 11.6 | 6:31 | 6:09 |
| 17 | 11.6 | 6:31 | 6:09 |
| 18 | 11.6 | 6:31 | 6:10 |
| 19 | 11.6 | 6:31 | 6:10 |
| 20 | 11.7 | 6:32 | 6:11 |
| 21 | 11.7 | 6:32 | 6:11 |
| 22 | 11.7 | 6:32 | 6:12 |
| 23 | 11.7 | 6:32 | 6:12 |
| 24 | 11.7 | 6:32 | 6:12 |
| 25 | 11.7 | 6:33 | 6:13 |
| 26 | 11.7 | 6:33 | 6:13 |
| 27 | 11.7 | 6:33 | 6:13 |
| 28 | 11.7 | 6:33 | 6:14 |
| 29 | 11.7 | 6:33 | 6:14 |
| 30 | 11.7 | 6:33 | 6:14 |
| 31 | 11.7 | 6:33 | 6:15 |
Solar energy in January
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.54 kWh/m².
For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.54 kWh/m² falls in the middle.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 2 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 3 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 4 | 5.2 | Bright |
| 5 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 6 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 7 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 8 | 5.3 | Bright |
| 9 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 10 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 11 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 12 | 5.4 | Bright |
| 13 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 14 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 15 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 16 | 5.5 | Bright |
| 17 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 18 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 19 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 20 | 5.6 | Bright |
| 21 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 22 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 23 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 24 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 25 | 5.7 | Bright |
| 26 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 27 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 28 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 29 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 30 | 5.8 | Bright |
| 31 | 5.8 | Bright |
Hazard calendar for Colombo
None of Colombo's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.
Colombo sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.
Is January a good time to visit Colombo?
Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
January is a reasonable time to visit Colombo for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Colombo in January
From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In January, Colombo sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 8 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Colombo in January
The nearest coast averages about 28°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in August near 27°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 |
| Comfort | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Warm |
| Feb | 28 | Tropical |
| Mar | 29 | Tropical |
| Apr | 30 | Tropical |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 28 | Tropical |
| Jul | 28 | Warm |
| Aug | 27 | Warm |
| Sep | 28 | Warm |
| Oct | 28 | Tropical |
| Nov | 29 | Tropical |
| Dec | 28 | Tropical |
UV index in Colombo in January
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 Colombo peaks around September 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 10 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Extreme |
| Dec | 10 | Very high |
Air quality in Colombo in January
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Colombo is worst in February — around 33 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (September, 16 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Colombo's WHO annual average of 23.6 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 32 | 33 | 32 | 25 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 27 | 30 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | Moderate |
| Feb | 33 | Moderate |
| Mar | 32 | Moderate |
| Apr | 25 | Moderate |
| May | 21 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 18 | Moderate |
| Nov | 27 | Moderate |
| Dec | 30 | Moderate |
Where is Colombo?
Colombo sits at 6.9°N, 79.8°E, 7 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kolonnawa, 4.0 km away.
Topography around Colombo
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Colombo.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Colombo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 32 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 71 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,145 m.
The land around Colombo is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and water (38%) within 3 km, water (55%), artificial surfaces (22%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and water (37%) within 80 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
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 Colombo (6.9355°, 79.8487°, elevation 7 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).