Dambulla weather in October

In October, Dambulla sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 248 mm of rain across 22.7 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 29°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in October, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Dambulla's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dambulla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
8th warmest
Overnight low
23°
7th coldest
Rainfall
248 mm
22.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
5:58 AM – 5:47 PM
Cloud cover
78%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Dambulla is human settlement.

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 29°C by the end.

A typical October day in Dambulla reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C cooler than September and about 2°C warmer than November.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13123
23123
33123
43123
53123
63123
73123
83123
93123
103123
113123
123123
133123
143023
153023
163023
173023
183023
193023
203023
213023
223023
233022
243022
253022
263022
273022
282922
292922
302922
312922

How October really feels in Dambulla

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.

Dambulla weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 8% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22575
32674
42674
52674
62674
72575
82476
92377
102377
112377
122179
132179
142080
152080
162080
171981
181981
191981
201882
211981
221981
231981
241882
251981
261981
271981
281981
291981
301981
311783

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Dambulla gets around 248 mm of rain over 22.7 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 74% and peaks near 81% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
266
366
466
567
668
768
869
970
1071
1172
1272
1373
1474
1574
1675
1775
1876
1976
2076
2177
2277
2377
2478
2578
2678
2779
2880
2980
3081
3181

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the oppressive band about 77% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
113762
213663
313465
413366
513267
613069
712970
812871
912673
1012574
1112475
1212376
1312277
1412178
1512079
1611980
1711980
1811881
1911881
2011782
2111782
2211683
2311683
2411683
2511683
2611584
2721583
2821583
2921484
3021484
3121385

Wind in October

Winds average 11 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212calm
1312calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:58 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 5:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:585:54
211.95:585:54
311.95:585:53
411.95:585:53
511.95:585:52
611.95:585:52
711.95:585:51
811.95:585:51
911.95:585:50
1011.95:585:50
1111.95:585:49
1211.95:585:49
1311.85:585:48
1411.85:585:48
1511.85:585:48
1611.85:585:47
1711.85:585:47
1811.85:585:46
1911.85:585:46
2011.85:585:46
2111.85:585:45
2211.85:585:45
2311.85:585:45
2411.85:585:44
2511.85:585:44
2611.85:585:44
2711.75:595:44
2811.75:595:43
2911.75:595:43
3011.75:595:43
3111.75:595:43

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.08 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 — October's 5.08 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Dambulla

In seasonPeak

In October, 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 October a good time to visit Dambulla?

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

3.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dambulla.

What to pack for Dambulla in October

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

In October, Dambulla sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Dambulla in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 13 (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 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 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
October 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).