Dambulla weather in January

In January, Dambulla sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 128 mm of rain across 15.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 Dambulla's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dambulla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
12th warmest
Overnight low
20°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
128 mm
15.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:29 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
70%
4th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Dambulla is human settlement.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Dambulla reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12721
22721
32721
42721
52721
62721
72721
82720
92720
102720
112720
122720
132720
142720
152720
162720
172720
182720
192720
202720
212720
222720
232720
242720
252720
262720
272720
282720
292720
302720
312720

How January really feels in Dambulla

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.

Dambulla weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°12815.211.65.5
Feb29° / 20°8411.711.75.4
Mar31° / 21°7410.911.94.4
Apr32° / 23°15218.812.23.1
May31° / 24°11318.312.43.4
Jun31° / 24°4514.212.43.9
Jul31° / 24°5516.112.43.8
Aug31° / 24°6417.912.33.5
Sep31° / 24°8818.7123.3
Oct30° / 23°24822.711.83.3
Nov28° / 22°28224.111.63.7
Dec27° / 21°22921.611.64.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22971
32971
42971
52971
62971
73169
83169
93169
103268
113367
123367
133565
143565
153565
163664
173664
183664
193763
203763
213763
223763
233862
243763
253664
263664
273664
283664
293763
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Dambulla gets around 128 mm of rain over 15.2 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 50% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
259
359
459
559
659
759
858
958
1057
1156
1254
1353
1451
1550
1648
1747
1845
1944
2043
2142
2241
2341
2441
2541
2642
2743
2844
2944
3045
3146

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 47% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 89% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10103555
20103555
30103555
40103555
50103555
60103555
70103555
80103555
90103654
100103753
110103852
120103951
130104050
140104248
150104347
160104445
170114643
180114742
190114841
200114940
211114939
221115039
231115038
241115039
251114939
261114940
271114840
281114741
291114642
301124543
311124344

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

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 6:24 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:245:57
211.66:245:58
311.66:255:58
411.66:255:59
511.66:265:59
611.66:266:00
711.66:266:00
811.66:276:01
911.66:276:01
1011.66:276:02
1111.66:286:02
1211.66:286:02
1311.66:286:03
1411.66:296:03
1511.66:296:04
1611.66:296:04
1711.66:296:05
1811.66:296:05
1911.66:306:06
2011.66:306:06
2111.66:306:07
2211.66:306:07
2311.66:306:07
2411.66:316:08
2511.66:316:08
2611.66:316:09
2711.66:316:09
2811.66:316:09
2911.66:316:10
3011.76:316:10
3111.76:316:10

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.29 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.28 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
64.0Moderate
74.0Moderate
84.0Bright
94.0Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Dambulla

In seasonPeak

In January, Dambulla sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

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

Is January a good time to visit Dambulla?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Dambulla for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dambulla in January

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

In January, Dambulla sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Dambulla 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 Dambulla peaks around April 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highApr 20UV 14Dec 20UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Dambulla 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 Dambulla is worst in April — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorApr 1146 µg/m³Jul 1930 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan40Poor
Feb37Poor
Mar45Poor
Apr46Poor
May40Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep34Moderate
Oct43Poor
Nov44Poor
Dec41Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Dambulla?

Dambulla sits at 7.9°N, 80.7°E, 168 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Sigiriya, 15 km away.

PolonnaruwaMataleKurunegalaAnuradhapuraKandyKegalleGampola

Topography around Dambulla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dambulla has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 186 m around an average of 173 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 747 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,865 m.

The land around Dambulla is covered by trees (69%) within 3 km, trees (73%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) within 80 km.

3 km
186 m
16 km
747 m
80 km
1,865 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Sigiriya 15 km · Polonnaruwa 40 km · Matale 44 km · Kurunegala 52 km · Anuradhapura 57 km · Kandy 63 km · Kegalle 76 km · Gampola 78 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 Dambulla (7.86°, 80.6517°, elevation 168 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. 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).