Nuwara Eliya weather in October

In October, Nuwara Eliya sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 353 mm of rain across 27.4 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in October, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Nuwara Eliya's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nuwara Eliya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
7th warmest
Overnight low
18°
6th coldest
Rainfall
353 mm
27.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
5:57 AM – 5:47 PM
Cloud cover
84%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Nuwara Eliya is human settlement.

Density
2,115/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical October day in Nuwara Eliya reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12418
22418
32418
42418
52418
62418
72418
82418
92418
102418
112418
122418
132418
142418
152418
162418
172418
182418
192418
202418
212418
222418
232418
242418
252418
262417
272417
282417
292417
302417
312417

Nuwara Eliya weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 16°12014.711.65.9
Feb24° / 16°10211.511.86.5
Mar26° / 17°10911.9126.4
Apr26° / 18°24321.412.14.7
May25° / 19°21128.612.33.8
Jun24° / 19°16626.412.44.0
Jul24° / 18°17726.912.44.1
Aug24° / 18°18326.912.24.1
Sep24° / 18°22825.7124.2
Oct24° / 18°35327.411.84.0
Nov23° / 17°33024.611.74.2
Dec23° / 17°2342111.64.8

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31288
41288
51288
61288
71288
81288
91288
101189
111090
121090
131090
141090
151090
161090
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
261189
271090
281090
291090
30991
31991

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Nuwara Eliya gets around 353 mm of rain over 27.4 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 88% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
287
387
487
587
687
788
888
988
1089
1189
1289
1389
1489
1589
1689
1789
1889
1989
2089
2189
2289
2389
2489
2588
2688
2788
2888
2988
3088
3188

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of October feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, October lands in the humid band about 62% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 35% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
116831
226830
326830
426830
526830
626731
726731
826731
926632
1026533
1126533
1226434
1326434
1426335
1526236
1626236
1726236
1826137
1926137
2026137
2126038
2226038
2335938
2435938
2535839
2635839
2735839
2835740
2935740
3035641
3135641

Wind in October

Winds average 6 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:58 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 5:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:585:54
211.95:585:54
311.95:575:53
411.95:575:53
511.95:575:52
611.95:575:52
711.95:575:51
811.95:575:51
911.95:575:50
1011.95:575:50
1111.95:575:49
1211.95:575:49
1311.95:575:48
1411.95:575:48
1511.85:575:48
1611.85:575:47
1711.85:575:47
1811.85:575:46
1911.85:575:46
2011.85:575:46
2111.85:575:45
2211.85:575:45
2311.85:575:45
2411.85:575:45
2511.85:575:44
2611.85:575:44
2711.85:575:44
2811.85:575:44
2911.85:575:43
3011.85:585:43
3111.85:585:43

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in March across the year — October's 4.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Nuwara Eliya?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Nuwara Eliya for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nuwara Eliya in October

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

In October, Nuwara Eliya sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Nuwara Eliya in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nuwara Eliya peaks around April 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 15UV 15Dec 17UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Nuwara Eliya in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Nuwara Eliya is worst in November — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 27 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorNov 1847 µg/m³Jul 1327 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan42Poor
Feb36Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr44Poor
May36Poor
Jun27Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct41Poor
Nov48Poor
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Nuwara Eliya?

Nuwara Eliya sits at 7.0°N, 80.8°E, 1,868 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Hatton, 22 km away.

BadullaEllaGampolaKandyRatnapuraKegalleMatale

Topography around Nuwara Eliya

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nuwara Eliya has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 740 m around an average of 1,985 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,984 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,495 m.

The land around Nuwara Eliya is covered by trees (60%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (77%) within 16 km, and trees (89%) within 80 km.

3 km
740 m
16 km
1,984 m
80 km
2,495 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Hatton 22 km · Badulla 30 km · Ella 31 km · Gampola 32 km · Kandy 39 km · Ratnapura 53 km · Kegalle 58 km · Matale 58 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 Nuwara Eliya (6.9708°, 80.7829°, elevation 1,868 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. 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).