Gampola weather in January

In January, Gampola sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 82 mm of rain across 9 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 12th-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 26% 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 Gampola's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gampola's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
20°
1st coldest
Rainfall
82 mm
9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:28 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
63%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Gampola is city in Central 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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Gampola reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 8°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)
12720
22720
32720
42720
52720
62720
72720
82720
92720
102720
112720
122720
132720
142720
152720
162720
172720
182720
192720
202720
212720
222720
232720
242820
252820
262820
272820
282820
292820
302820
312820

How January really feels in Gampola

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.

Gampola weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°82911.66.5
Feb29° / 20°848.211.85.8
Mar30° / 21°11812124.7
Apr30° / 21°25921.812.23.7
May28° / 22°15825.512.33.7
Jun27° / 22°13125.112.43.9
Jul27° / 22°13725.212.44.1
Aug27° / 22°12225.112.24.1
Sep27° / 21°13622.5124.3
Oct27° / 21°36025.411.84.0
Nov27° / 21°37222.511.74.3
Dec27° / 20°20916.711.65.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44357
54456
64456
74456
84456
94555
104555
114456
124555
134654
144555
154555
164654
174555
184555
194555
204555
214456
224456
234456
244456
254456
264456
274456
284456
294555
304555
314654

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Gampola gets around 82 mm of rain over 9 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
435
535
635
735
835
934
1034
1133
1233
1332
1431
1530
1629
1728
1827
1926
2025
2125
2224
2324
2424
2524
2624
2725
2825
2926
3027
3127

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 60% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 73% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
102166517
202166517
302156617
402156617
502156617
602166616
702166616
802176516
902186416
1002196316
1102206216
1202216215
1302226115
1402236114
1502246014
1602265814
1702275813
1803285613
1913295512
2013305412
2113305511
2213305511
2314305411
2414305510
2514305510
2614295610
2714295610
2815285511
2915275611
3015275611
3115265711

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 6:23 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:235:59
211.66:245:59
311.66:246:00
411.66:246:00
511.66:256:01
611.66:256:01
711.66:256:02
811.66:266:02
911.66:266:03
1011.66:276:03
1111.66:276:03
1211.66:276:04
1311.66:276:04
1411.66:286:05
1511.66:286:05
1611.66:286:06
1711.66:286:06
1811.66:296:07
1911.66:296:07
2011.66:296:08
2111.66:296:08
2211.66:306:08
2311.76:306:09
2411.76:306:09
2511.76:306:10
2611.76:306:10
2711.76:306:10
2811.76:306:11
2911.76:306:11
3011.76:306:11
3111.76:306:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.12 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.74 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Gampola?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Gampola in January

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

In January, Gampola sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Gampola 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 Gampola peaks around April 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 18UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Gampola 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 Gampola is worst in November — around 60 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.4× the cleanest month (July, 25 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorNov 1759 µg/m³Jul 2025 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan45Poor
Feb41Poor
Mar57Unhealthy
Apr59Unhealthy
May42Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct49Poor
Nov60Unhealthy
Dec52Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Gampola?

Gampola sits at 7.2°N, 80.6°E, 492 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kandy, 16 km away.

KegalleHattonNuwara EliyaMataleKurunegalaRatnapuraBadulla

Topography around Gampola

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gampola has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 586 m around an average of 576 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,628 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,505 m.

The land around Gampola is covered by trees (90%) within 3 km, trees (92%) within 16 km, and trees (89%) within 80 km.

3 km
586 m
16 km
1,628 m
80 km
2,505 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Kandy 16 km · Kegalle 27 km · Hatton 30 km · Nuwara Eliya 32 km · Matale 34 km · Kurunegala 42 km · Ratnapura 56 km · Badulla 58 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 Gampola (7.1643°, 80.5696°, elevation 492 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).