Ella weather in January

In January, Ella sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 131 mm of rain across 15.7 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Ella's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ella's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
12th warmest
Overnight low
18°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
131 mm
15.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:26 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
69%
4th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical January day in Ella reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12418
22418
32418
42418
52418
62418
72418
82418
92418
102418
112418
122418
132418
142418
152418
162418
172418
182418
192418
202418
212418
222418
232418
242418
252418
262418
272418
282418
292418
302518
312518

Ella weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 18°13115.711.65.9
Feb25° / 18°9313.311.86.1
Mar27° / 18°8412.7126.0
Apr28° / 20°17620.212.14.4
May29° / 21°14116.612.34.3
Jun30° / 22°539.912.44.7
Jul30° / 22°527.912.44.8
Aug30° / 21°711012.24.7
Sep30° / 21°12813.6124.5
Oct28° / 20°2772211.84.3
Nov25° / 19°2692411.74.3
Dec24° / 19°22121.211.65.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33268
43268
53268
63268
73367
83367
93466
103367
113466
123664
133664
143763
153763
163763
173862
183862
193862
203763
213763
223763
233565
243565
253565
263565
273466
283466
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Ella gets around 131 mm of rain over 15.7 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 (%)
158
258
358
459
559
659
759
858
957
1056
1155
1253
1352
1450
1549
1647
1746
1845
1944
2043
2143
2243
2343
2443
2544
2645
2746
2847
2948
3048
3149

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

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

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1092863
2092863
30102763
40102763
50102763
60102664
70102664
80102763
90102763
100102862
111102960
121103059
131103158
141103257
151103356
161103554
171103653
181103752
191113850
201113950
211114049
221114048
231114048
241114148
251104048
261104049
271104050
281103950
291103851
301103752
311103653

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 6:21 AM to 6:28 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)
111.66:215:57
211.66:215:58
311.66:225:58
411.66:225:59
511.66:225:59
611.66:236:00
711.66:236:00
811.66:236:01
911.66:246:01
1011.66:246:02
1111.66:246:02
1211.66:256:02
1311.66:256:03
1411.66:256:03
1511.66:266:04
1611.66:266:04
1711.66:266:05
1811.66:266:05
1911.76:276:06
2011.76:276:06
2111.76:276:06
2211.76:276:07
2311.76:276:07
2411.76:286:08
2511.76:286:08
2611.76:286:08
2711.76:286:09
2811.76:286:09
2911.76:286:09
3011.76:286:10
3111.76:286:10

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.1Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Ella

In seasonPeak

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

Ella's rainy season runs September–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 Ella?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Ella for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ella in January

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

In January, Ella sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Ella in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ella peaks around April 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 13UV 14Dec 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Ella 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 Ella is worst in November — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 27 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorNov 1847 µg/m³Jul 1327 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb36Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr44Poor
May36Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct41Poor
Nov48Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Ella?

Ella sits at 6.9°N, 81.0°E, 0 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Badulla, 12 km away.

Nuwara EliyaHattonKataragamaGampolaKandyRatnapuraMatale

Topography around Ella

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ella has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 902 m around an average of 1,030 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,848 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,505 m.

The land around Ella is covered by trees (76%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
902 m
16 km
1,848 m
80 km
2,505 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Badulla 12 km · Nuwara Eliya 31 km · Hatton 50 km · Kataragama 60 km · Gampola 62 km · Kandy 65 km · Ratnapura 74 km · Matale 81 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 Ella (6.8756°, 81.0463°, elevation 0 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).