Kegalle weather in January

In January, Kegalle sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 55 mm of rain across 6.3 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 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 Kegalle's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kegalle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
4th warmest
Overnight low
22°
1st coldest
Rainfall
55 mm
6.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:29 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
59%
3rd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Kegalle is town in Sabaragamuwa 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 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kegalle reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13022
23022
33022
43022
53022
63022
73022
83022
93022
103022
113022
123022
133022
143022
153022
163022
173022
183122
193122
203122
213122
223122
233122
243122
253122
263122
273122
283122
293122
303122
313122

How January really feels in Kegalle

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.

Kegalle 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
Jan30° / 22°556.311.65.1
Feb32° / 22°51611.84.2
Mar34° / 23°8310.5123.2
Apr32° / 24°18822.112.22.7
May30° / 25°19527.912.32.7
Jun29° / 24°21928.212.42.9
Jul29° / 24°20728.312.43.1
Aug29° / 24°18628.512.23.1
Sep29° / 24°19626.2123.2
Oct29° / 23°34827.911.83.0
Nov30° / 23°31522.111.73.5
Dec29° / 22°15514.411.64.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
45050
55149
65050
75050
85050
95050
105050
115050
125050
135050
144951
155050
164951
174951
184951
194852
204852
214852
224753
234753
244852
254753
264852
274852
284852
294951
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kegalle gets around 55 mm of rain over 6.3 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 21% 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
227
326
426
526
625
725
825
924
1024
1123
1223
1322
1422
1521
1620
1720
1819
1918
2018
2118
2217
2317
2417
2517
2617
2718
2818
2919
3019
3120

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 45% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 88% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
10836551
20836560
30837550
40837550
50837550
60837550
70837550
80838540
90938530
100939520
110940510
120941490
1301042480
1411043470
1511144450
1611145440
1711246420
1811246410
1911347390
2011348380
2111448380
2211448370
2311448370
2411448370
2511547370
2611547370
2711547370
2821546380
2921546380
3021545390
3121544390

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 6:24 AM to 6:31 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)
111.66:245:59
211.66:256:00
311.66:256:00
411.66:256:01
511.66:266:01
611.66:266:02
711.66:276:02
811.66:276:03
911.66:276:03
1011.66:286:04
1111.66:286:04
1211.66:286:05
1311.66:286:05
1411.66:296:06
1511.66:296:06
1611.66:296:07
1711.66:306:07
1811.66:306:07
1911.66:306:08
2011.66:306:08
2111.66:306:09
2211.66:316:09
2311.66:316:10
2411.76:316:10
2511.76:316:10
2611.76:316:11
2711.76:316:11
2811.76:316:11
2911.76:316:12
3011.76:316:12
3111.76:316:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.33 kWh/m² to a high of 6.19 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.07 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kegalle

In seasonPeak

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

Kegalle 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 Kegalle?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Kegalle in January

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

In January, Kegalle sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Kegalle 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 53 km away) 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 Kegalle 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 Kegalle 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 Kegalle 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 Kegalle 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 Kegalle?

Kegalle sits at 7.3°N, 80.3°E, 176 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kurunegala, 26 km away.

KurunegalaGampolaKandyMataleHanwella IhalaHattonKatunayakaJa Ela

Topography around Kegalle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kegalle has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 307 m around an average of 223 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,079 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,506 m.

The land around Kegalle is covered by trees (96%) within 3 km, trees (95%) within 16 km, and trees (81%) within 80 km.

3 km
307 m
16 km
1,079 m
80 km
2,506 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Kurunegala 26 km · Gampola 27 km · Kandy 32 km · Matale 39 km · Hanwella Ihala 48 km · Hatton 49 km · Katunayaka 51 km · Ja Ela 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 Kegalle (7.2523°, 80.3436°, elevation 176 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).