Kurunegala weather in January

In January, Kurunegala sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 50 mm of rain across 6.1 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-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 29% 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 Kurunegala's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kurunegala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
5th warmest
Overnight low
22°
1st coldest
Rainfall
50 mm
6.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:30 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
60%
3rd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Kurunegala is human settlement.

Density
2,597/km²
people per km²

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 Kurunegala reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 8°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 Kurunegala

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.

Kurunegala weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°506.111.65.1
Feb33° / 23°455.811.84.1
Mar34° / 24°701111.92.9
Apr33° / 24°17421.812.22.5
May31° / 25°17427.212.32.7
Jun30° / 25°16727.312.42.9
Jul29° / 24°14726.512.43.2
Aug29° / 24°14126.412.23.2
Sep30° / 24°15924.8123.2
Oct30° / 23°3192711.83.0
Nov30° / 23°27221.611.73.5
Dec30° / 23°14314.311.64.6

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 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
35050
45050
55050
64951
74951
84951
94951
104951
114951
124951
134951
144951
154951
164951
174951
184951
194852
204852
214753
224753
234753
244753
254753
264654
274852
284852
294852
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kurunegala gets around 50 mm of rain over 6.1 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 29% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
228
328
427
526
626
725
825
924
1024
1123
1223
1322
1421
1521
1620
1719
1818
1918
2017
2117
2216
2316
2416
2516
2616
2717
2817
2918
3018
3119

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 48% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 91% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1053659
2053659
3053659
4063658
5063658
6063559
7063658
8073657
9073657
10073756
11083854
12083854
13084052
14084151
15094249
16094347
17094545
181104644
191104742
201104841
211104940
221114940
231114939
241114939
251114939
261114940
271114840
281114741
291114641
301124542
311124443

Wind in January

Winds average 11 km/h in January.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
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 6:25 AM to 6:32 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)
111.66:255:59
211.66:255:59
311.66:256:00
411.66:266:00
511.66:266:01
611.66:266:01
711.66:276:02
811.66:276:02
911.66:286:03
1011.66:286:03
1111.66:286:04
1211.66:286:04
1311.66:296:05
1411.66:296:05
1511.66:296:06
1611.66:306:06
1711.66:306:07
1811.66:306:07
1911.66:306:07
2011.66:306:08
2111.66:316:08
2211.66:316:09
2311.66:316:09
2411.66:316:09
2511.66:316:10
2611.66:316:10
2711.76:316:11
2811.76:326:11
2911.76:326:11
3011.76:326:12
3111.76:326:12

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.05 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Kurunegala

In seasonPeak

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

Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala?

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 Kurunegala for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kurunegala in January

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

In January, Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala 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 56 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 Kurunegala in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kurunegala peaks around April 18 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 highApr 18UV 14Dec 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala?

Kurunegala sits at 7.5°N, 80.4°E, 146 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Kegalle, 26 km away.

KegalleMataleKandyGampolaDambullaKatunayakaChilawNegombo

Topography around Kurunegala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kurunegala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 211 m around an average of 134 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 749 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,500 m.

The land around Kurunegala is covered by trees (68%) within 3 km, trees (84%) within 16 km, and trees (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
211 m
16 km
749 m
80 km
2,500 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Kegalle 26 km · Matale 28 km · Kandy 36 km · Gampola 42 km · Dambulla 52 km · Katunayaka 63 km · Chilaw 64 km · Negombo 66 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 Kurunegala (7.4839°, 80.3683°, elevation 146 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).