Katunayaka weather in January

In January, Katunayaka sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 48 mm of rain across 6.7 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Katunayaka's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Katunayaka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
4th warmest
Overnight low
23°
1st coldest
Rainfall
48 mm
6.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:31 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
57%
3rd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Katunayaka is suburb in Western Province.

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 31°C through the month.

A typical January day in Katunayaka reaches about 31°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 29°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13023
23023
33023
43023
53023
63023
73023
83023
93123
103123
113123
123123
133123
143123
153123
163123
173123
183123
193123
203123
213123
223123
233123
243123
253123
263123
273123
283123
293223
303223
313223

How January really feels in Katunayaka

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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 January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Katunayaka weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 23°486.711.64.9
Feb32° / 24°486.611.84.1
Mar33° / 25°9115123.2
Apr32° / 25°18326.412.22.6
May30° / 26°23428.912.32.6
Jun29° / 26°25328.612.42.8
Jul29° / 25°23028.412.43.0
Aug29° / 25°20928.612.23.0
Sep29° / 25°23227.4123.0
Oct29° / 24°3412811.83.0
Nov30° / 24°29922.711.73.4
Dec30° / 23°14814.311.64.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25050
34951
45050
55050
65050
75050
85149
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145149
155149
165149
175149
185149
195149
205149
215149
225149
235248
245248
255248
265248
275248
285248
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Katunayaka gets around 48 mm of rain over 6.7 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 22% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
327
427
526
626
726
825
925
1024
1124
1223
1323
1422
1522
1621
1720
1820
1919
2019
2119
2218
2318
2418
2519
2619
2719
2820
2921
3021
3122

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 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 94% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
10327655
20327664
30327664
40427654
50427654
60428644
70428653
80528643
90529633
100530623
110531613
120532603
130633592
140634582
150636562
160637552
170638542
180640522
190641512
200742492
210743492
220743482
230744481
240744471
250744481
260743481
270743481
280742491
290742491
300741502
311740502

Wind in January

Winds average 12 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 6:26 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:266:01
211.66:266:02
311.66:276:02
411.66:276:03
511.66:276:03
611.66:286:04
711.66:286:04
811.66:296:05
911.66:296:05
1011.66:296:06
1111.66:306:06
1211.66:306:07
1311.66:306:07
1411.66:306:08
1511.66:316:08
1611.66:316:08
1711.66:316:09
1811.66:316:09
1911.66:326:10
2011.66:326:10
2111.66:326:11
2211.66:326:11
2311.76:326:11
2411.76:336:12
2511.76:336:12
2611.76:336:13
2711.76:336:13
2811.76:336:13
2911.76:336:14
3011.76:336:14
3111.76:336:14

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.38 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.49 kWh/m² to a high of 6.27 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.38 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Katunayaka

In seasonPeak

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

Katunayaka 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 Katunayaka?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Katunayaka in January

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

In January, Katunayaka sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Katunayaka 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 offshore is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in August 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
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Katunayaka 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 Katunayaka peaks around February 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 highFeb 17UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Katunayaka 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 Katunayaka 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 Katunayaka?

Katunayaka sits at 7.2°N, 79.9°E, 13 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Negombo, 7.0 km away.

Kelaniya

Topography around Katunayaka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Katunayaka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 70 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,145 m.

The land around Katunayaka is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (53%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
36 m
16 km
70 m
80 km
2,145 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Negombo 7.0 km · Ja Ela 11 km · Kandana 14 km · Welisara 16 km · Hendala 20 km · Wattala 20 km · Peliyagoda 22 km · Kelaniya 24 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 Katunayaka (7.1699°, 79.8884°, elevation 13 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).