Maharagama weather in January

In January, Maharagama sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 94 mm of rain across 11.1 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 26% 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 Maharagama's 3rd-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Maharagama's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
4th warmest
Overnight low
23°
1st coldest
Rainfall
94 mm
11.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:30 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
62%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Maharagama is suburb in Colombo District, Western 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 31°C through the month.

A typical January day in Maharagama 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 1°C cooler than February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13023
23023
33023
43023
53023
63123
73123
83123
93123
103123
113123
123123
133123
143123
153123
163123
173123
183123
193123
203123
213123
223123
233123
243123
253123
263123
273123
283123
293123
303123
313123

How January really feels in Maharagama

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.

Maharagama 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°9411.111.64.4
Feb32° / 24°8510.711.84.1
Mar32° / 24°10516.9123.4
Apr32° / 25°20826.612.12.6
May30° / 25°28929.912.32.6
Jun29° / 25°28329.112.42.8
Jul29° / 25°24329.312.42.9
Aug29° / 25°22429.312.23.0
Sep29° / 25°25828123.0
Oct29° / 24°35728.111.83.0
Nov30° / 24°36824.611.73.2
Dec30° / 23°21419.211.63.9

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 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34555
44654
54753
64753
74654
84654
94654
104654
114654
124654
134654
144654
154654
164654
174654
184555
194654
204654
214654
224654
234654
244654
254753
264753
274753
284852
294852
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Maharagama gets around 94 mm of rain over 11.1 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 37% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
342
442
542
641
741
841
941
1040
1140
1239
1338
1437
1537
1636
1735
1834
1933
2033
2132
2232
2331
2431
2532
2632
2732
2833
2934
3034
3135

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 68% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1220717
2220717
3220726
4220726
5220735
6320725
7320725
8321724
9321724
10321724
11321733
12322723
13323713
14323713
15324703
16225703
17226684
18227674
19328654
20329644
21329644
22330634
23330634
24329644
25329635
26328645
27328645
28227665
29226675
30225685
31224695

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 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
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 6:25 AM to 6:33 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:256:02
211.66:266:02
311.66:266:03
411.66:266:03
511.66:276:04
611.66:276:04
711.66:286:05
811.66:286:05
911.66:286:06
1011.66:296:06
1111.66:296:07
1211.66:296:07
1311.66:296:07
1411.66:306:08
1511.66:306:08
1611.66:306:09
1711.66:316:09
1811.66:316:10
1911.76:316:10
2011.76:316:11
2111.76:316:11
2211.76:326:11
2311.76:326:12
2411.76:326:12
2511.76:326:13
2611.76:326:13
2711.76:326:13
2811.76:326:14
2911.76:336:14
3011.76:336:14
3111.76:336:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.41 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Maharagama

In seasonPeak

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

Maharagama 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 Maharagama?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Maharagama in January

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

In January, Maharagama sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Maharagama 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 Maharagama 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 Maharagama peaks around September 10 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 highSep 10UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Maharagama 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 Maharagama is worst in January — around 84 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 2.8× the cleanest month (July, 29 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1483 µg/m³Jul 2129 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan84Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar73Unhealthy
Apr62Unhealthy
May44Poor
Jun31Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug30Moderate
Sep35Poor
Oct52Poor
Nov74Unhealthy
Dec81Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Maharagama?

Maharagama sits at 6.8°N, 79.9°E, 26 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Maharagama

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Maharagama has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 37 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,145 m.

The land around Maharagama is covered by artificial surfaces (51%) and trees (40%) within 3 km, trees (45%), water (26%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
37 m
16 km
135 m
80 km
2,145 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte 4.0 km · Battaramulla South 5.0 km · Pita Kotte 5.0 km · Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 6.0 km · Homagama 8.0 km · Kotikawatta 9.0 km · Mulleriyawa 9.0 km · Moratuwa 10 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 Maharagama (6.848°, 79.9265°, elevation 26 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).