Kataragama in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), Kataragama sees average daytime highs around 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 528 mm of rain over about 53 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs ease from about 34°C in early September to 30°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Fall is Kataragama's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kataragama's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
32°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
24°C
Rainfall
528 mm
53 wet days
Avg wind
11 km/h
Travel score
3.0
3rd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Kataragama in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 34°C in early September to 30°C by late November.

A typical fall day in Kataragama reaches about 32°C and drops to 24°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°25°30°35°40°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in Kataragama

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 91 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
91
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in fall is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Kataragama weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°9610.711.75.0
Feb31° / 22°629.811.84.4
Mar33° / 22°7611.8123.4
Apr33° / 24°14820.512.12.7
May33° / 25°7813.412.33.0
Jun34° / 25°245.812.43.0
Jul35° / 25°204.412.32.9
Aug35° / 25°245.812.22.8
Sep34° / 25°5210.2122.8
Oct32° / 24°19318.811.92.9
Nov30° / 23°28323.811.73.2
Dec29° / 22°19218.111.64.2

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

Kataragama gets around 528 mm of rain over 53 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%80%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 11 km/h across fall.

05101520SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min in early September to 11 h 42 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 5.2 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Kataragama

In seasonPeak

In fall, Kataragama overlaps its cyclone and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Kataragama sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Kataragama's monsoon runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is fall a good time to visit Kataragama?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

3.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kataragama.

What to pack for Kataragama in Fall

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

In fall, Kataragama sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 53 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kataragama in Fall

The nearest coast averages about 28°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 32 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Kataragama in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kataragama peaks around April 16 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 16UV 14Dec 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Kataragama in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Kataragama 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 Kataragama?

Kataragama sits at 6.4°N, 81.3°E, 48 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Hambantota, 40 km away.

HambantotaAmbalantotaEllaBadullaPottuvilBeliattaNuwara EliyaHatton

Topography around Kataragama

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kataragama has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 m around an average of 70 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 401 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,334 m.

The land around Kataragama is covered by trees (80%) within 3 km, trees (83%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
371 m
16 km
401 m
80 km
2,334 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Fall weather nearby: Hambantota 40 km · Ambalantota 48 km · Ella 60 km · Badulla 70 km · Pottuvil 75 km · Beliatta 78 km · Nuwara Eliya 87 km · Hatton 97 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 Kataragama (6.4134°, 81.3346°, elevation 48 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.