Matara weather in January

In January, Matara sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 97 mm of rain across 14.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of January to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Matara's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
1st coldest
Rainfall
97 mm
14.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:26 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
66%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Matara is city in Southern, 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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Matara reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112923
122923
132923
142923
152923
162923
172923
182923
192923
202923
213023
223023
233023
243023
253023
263023
273023
283023
293024
303024
313024

How January really feels in Matara

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.

Matara 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
Jan29° / 23°9714.311.74.7
Feb30° / 24°7812.511.84.5
Mar31° / 25°9918123.9
Apr30° / 25°18225.512.13.1
May29° / 26°22428.212.33.0
Jun29° / 25°18726.912.33.2
Jul28° / 25°15926.812.33.4
Aug28° / 25°1592712.23.4
Sep28° / 25°19626.2123.4
Oct29° / 24°25026.611.93.4
Nov29° / 24°29625.411.73.4
Dec29° / 24°19921.411.74.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34159
44060
54060
64159
74159
84159
94159
104159
114159
124159
134258
144258
154258
164258
174258
184258
194258
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254159
264258
274258
284258
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Matara gets around 97 mm of rain over 14.3 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 46% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
153
252
352
452
552
652
752
851
951
1050
1149
1248
1347
1446
1545
1644
1743
1842
1942
2041
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2642
2742
2843
2944
3044
3145

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 85% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
108884
208893
308893
408893
508902
608902
709892
809892
909892
10010882
11010882
12011872
13011872
14012862
15013852
16013852
17014842
18014842
19015832
20015832
21015832
22015832
23015832
24015832
25015832
26114832
27114832
28114832
29114832
30114832
31114832

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January, the calmest month.

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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 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 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:21 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:216:01
211.76:226:01
311.76:226:02
411.76:226:02
511.76:236:03
611.76:236:03
711.76:246:04
811.76:246:04
911.76:246:05
1011.76:256:05
1111.76:256:06
1211.76:256:06
1311.76:266:07
1411.76:266:07
1511.76:266:07
1611.76:266:08
1711.76:276:08
1811.76:276:09
1911.76:276:09
2011.76:276:09
2111.76:286:10
2211.76:286:10
2311.76:286:11
2411.76:286:11
2511.76:286:11
2611.76:296:12
2711.76:296:12
2811.76:296:12
2911.76:296:13
3011.76:296:13
3111.76:296:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.48 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.53 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Matara

In seasonPeak

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

Matara 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 Matara?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Matara in January

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

In January, Matara sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Matara 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 13 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in July near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Matara in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Matara peaks around April 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 17UV 14Jan 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Matara 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 Matara is worst in January — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (September, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJan 1834 µg/m³Sep 1316 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan35Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Matara?

Matara sits at 5.9°N, 80.5°E, 9 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Devinuwara, 6.0 km away.

BeliattaUnawatunaGalleAmbalantotaAmbalangoda

Topography around Matara

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Matara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 236 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,507 m.

The land around Matara is covered by trees (39%) and water (32%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (41%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
69 m
16 km
236 m
80 km
1,507 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
January weather nearby: Devinuwara 6.0 km · Mirissa 9.0 km · Weligama 12 km · Beliatta 25 km · Unawatuna 33 km · Galle 38 km · Ambalantota 57 km · Ambalangoda 62 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 Matara (5.9485°, 80.5353°, elevation 9 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).