Galle weather in January

In January, Galle sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 63 mm of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Galle's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Galle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
6th warmest
Overnight low
25°
1st coldest
Rainfall
63 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:28 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
61%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Galle is city in Southern Province, Sri Lanka.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Galle reaches about 28°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 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

How January really feels in Galle

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.

Galle weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°6312.211.76.0
Feb28° / 25°5010.111.85.8
Mar29° / 26°6513.7125.2
Apr29° / 26°14722.712.13.9
May29° / 26°27928.412.33.3
Jun28° / 26°24427.512.33.5
Jul28° / 26°21527.512.33.7
Aug27° / 26°20627.412.23.8
Sep28° / 26°24026.5123.8
Oct28° / 25°26326.511.93.9
Nov28° / 25°25023.511.74.2
Dec28° / 25°14818.711.75.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44951
54951
64951
74951
84951
95050
105050
115050
125050
135050
145050
155050
164951
174951
184852
194852
204852
214951
224852
234852
244951
254951
264951
274951
284951
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Galle gets around 63 mm of rain over 12.2 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 39% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
246
345
445
545
645
745
845
944
1044
1143
1242
1341
1440
1540
1639
1738
1837
1936
2035
2135
2234
2334
2433
2533
2633
2734
2834
2934
3035
3135

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 90% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
17912
27912
37912
47912
57912
67912
77921
87921
97921
107921
117921
128911
138911
148911
158911
168902
179892
189892
199892
209892
219892
229892
239892
249892
259892
268902
278902
288902
298911
308911
318911

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 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 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:23 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:236:02
211.76:236:02
311.76:236:03
411.76:246:03
511.76:246:04
611.76:256:04
711.76:256:05
811.76:256:05
911.76:266:06
1011.76:266:06
1111.76:266:07
1211.76:276:07
1311.76:276:08
1411.76:276:08
1511.76:286:09
1611.76:286:09
1711.76:286:09
1811.76:286:10
1911.76:296:10
2011.76:296:11
2111.76:296:11
2211.76:296:11
2311.76:296:12
2411.76:306:12
2511.76:306:13
2611.76:306:13
2711.76:306:13
2811.76:306:14
2911.76:306:14
3011.76:306:14
3111.76:306:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.45 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.51 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Galle

In seasonPeak

None of Galle's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Galle 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 January a good time to visit Galle?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Galle for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Galle in January

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

In January, Galle sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Galle 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 at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in July near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Galle in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Galle peaks around April 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 17UV 14Jan 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Galle 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 Galle is worst in January — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (September, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 1834 µg/m³Sep 1316 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan35Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Galle?

Galle sits at 6.0°N, 80.2°E, 24 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Unawatuna, 5.0 km away.

WeligamaAmbalangodaMirissaMataraDevinuwaraBentotaBeruwala

Topography around Galle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Galle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 61 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,357 m.

The land around Galle is covered by trees (49%) and water (32%) within 3 km, water (51%) and trees (45%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and water (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
61 m
16 km
217 m
80 km
1,357 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Unawatuna 5.0 km · Weligama 26 km · Ambalangoda 27 km · Mirissa 30 km · Matara 38 km · Devinuwara 44 km · Bentota 48 km · Beruwala 54 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 Galle (6.0461°, 80.2103°, elevation 24 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).