Puttalam weather in January

In January, Puttalam sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 41 mm of rain across 6.3 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-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 29% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Puttalam's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Puttalam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
1st coldest
Rainfall
41 mm
6.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:33 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
59%
3rd clearest
Wind
18 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Puttalam is large town in North 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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Puttalam reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 30°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
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
242924
252924
262924
272924
282924
292924
302924
313024

How January really feels in Puttalam

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 4 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
4
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.

Puttalam weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°416.311.65.9
Feb30° / 24°325.211.75.5
Mar31° / 26°4810.111.94.6
Apr31° / 27°11721.712.23.4
May30° / 27°1352212.43.6
Jun29° / 27°7916.712.54.3
Jul29° / 26°4110.112.45.2
Aug29° / 26°5011.512.35.1
Sep29° / 26°9316.5124.5
Oct29° / 26°22222.511.83.8
Nov29° / 25°24822.111.63.8
Dec29° / 25°1371411.55.0

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 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
45050
55050
65050
75149
85149
95149
105050
115050
125149
135149
145050
155050
165050
174951
185050
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
245050
255050
265050
275149
285248
295248
305248
315446

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Puttalam gets around 41 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 22% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
229
329
429
528
628
728
827
927
1026
1126
1225
1324
1423
1522
1621
1720
1819
1918
2017
2116
2216
2315
2415
2515
2615
2715
2816
2916
3017
3118

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 64% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1123733
2124723
3124723
4124732
5124732
6224722
7224722
8225712
9225712
10226711
11227701
12228691
13230671
14231661
15232651
16234631
17235621
18236611
19238591
20239581
21240571
22240571
23241570
24241570
25240580
26240580
27240580
28239590
29238600
30238600
31237610

Wind in January

Winds average 18 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 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 6:28 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:286:00
211.56:286:01
311.56:286:01
411.56:296:02
511.56:296:02
611.56:306:03
711.66:306:03
811.66:306:04
911.66:316:04
1011.66:316:05
1111.66:316:05
1211.66:326:05
1311.66:326:06
1411.66:326:06
1511.66:326:07
1611.66:336:07
1711.66:336:08
1811.66:336:08
1911.66:336:09
2011.66:336:09
2111.66:346:10
2211.66:346:10
2311.66:346:10
2411.66:346:11
2511.66:346:11
2611.66:346:12
2711.66:346:12
2811.66:346:12
2911.66:356:13
3011.66:356:13
3111.66:356:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.29 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Puttalam

In seasonPeak

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

Puttalam sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Puttalam's rainy season runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Puttalam?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Puttalam in January

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

In January, Puttalam sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Puttalam 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 24 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
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Puttalam 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 Puttalam peaks around April 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 19UV 13Dec 20UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Puttalam 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 Puttalam is worst in March — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2330 µg/m³Oct 2016 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar30Moderate
Apr29Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Puttalam?

Puttalam sits at 8.0°N, 79.8°E, 8 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Chilaw, 51 km away.

ChilawAnuradhapuraKurunegalaNegomboDambullaKatunayakaSigiriyaKegalle

Topography around Puttalam

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Puttalam has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 93 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 580 m.

The land around Puttalam is covered by water (45%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
30 m
16 km
93 m
80 km
580 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Chilaw 51 km · Anuradhapura 71 km · Kurunegala 86 km · Negombo 92 km · Dambulla 93 km · Katunayaka 97 km · Sigiriya 102 km · Kegalle 104 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 Puttalam (8.0362°, 79.8283°, elevation 8 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).