Colombo weather in October

In October, Colombo sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 326 mm of rain across 26 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-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 7% of the time in October, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Colombo's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colombo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
9th warmest
Overnight low
25°
5th coldest
Rainfall
326 mm
26 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:00 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
80%
9th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical October day in Colombo reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°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, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12926
22926
32926
42926
52926
62926
72926
82926
92926
102926
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How October really feels in Colombo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Colombo weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 24°537.911.65.3
Feb30° / 25°547.811.85.1
Mar30° / 26°7514.9124.3
Apr30° / 26°16624.812.13.2
May30° / 27°27928.912.32.9
Jun29° / 26°24326.812.43.2
Jul28° / 26°18324.412.43.7
Aug28° / 26°16823.712.23.9
Sep28° / 26°22324.5123.7
Oct29° / 25°3262611.83.5
Nov29° / 25°30723.711.73.6
Dec29° / 25°16415.911.64.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11981
21882
31981
41981
51981
61981
71981
81981
91882
101882
111882
121882
131882
141882
151783
161783
171783
181684
191684
201684
211783
221783
231783
241783
251783
261783
271783
281684
291783
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Colombo gets around 326 mm of rain over 26 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 84% and peaks near 86% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
181
281
381
481
581
682
782
882
983
1083
1184
1284
1385
1485
1585
1685
1786
1885
1985
2085
2185
2285
2385
2485
2585
2685
2785
2885
2985
3085
3185

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the miserable band about 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
13070
23169
33268
43268
53367
63367
73466
83466
93565
103565
113664
123763
133862
143961
153961
164060
174159
184258
194357
204456
214555
224654
234753
244852
254951
265050
275149
285248
295347
305446
315545

Wind in October

Winds average 13 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:01 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:58 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:015:58
211.96:015:57
311.96:015:57
411.96:015:56
511.96:015:56
611.96:015:55
711.96:015:55
811.96:015:54
911.96:015:54
1011.96:015:53
1111.96:005:53
1211.96:005:53
1311.96:005:52
1411.96:005:52
1511.96:005:51
1611.86:005:51
1711.86:005:51
1811.86:005:50
1911.86:005:50
2011.86:005:50
2111.86:005:49
2211.86:005:49
2311.86:015:49
2411.86:015:48
2511.86:015:48
2611.86:015:48
2711.86:015:48
2811.86:015:47
2911.86:015:47
3011.86:015:47
3111.86:015:47

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.86 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 — October's 4.86 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Colombo

In seasonPeak

In October, Colombo sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

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

Is October a good time to visit Colombo?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Colombo.

What to pack for Colombo in October

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

In October, Colombo sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Colombo in October

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in October — 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.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Colombo in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highSep 10UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Colombo in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October 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.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateFeb 1433 µg/m³Sep 1116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan32Moderate
Feb33Moderate
Mar32Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov27Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

3 km
32 m
16 km
71 m
80 km
2,145 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Kolonnawa 4.0 km · Peliyagoda 5.0 km · Kotikawatta 7.0 km · Hendala 7.0 km · Wattala 8.0 km · Pita Kotte 8.0 km · Kelaniya 8.0 km · Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte 9.0 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 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).