Ratnapura weather in January

In January, Ratnapura sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 308 mm of rain across 22.8 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Ratnapura's 3rd-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ratnapura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
19°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
308 mm
22.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:28 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
70%
3rd clearest
Wind
3 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Ratnapura is city in Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.

Density
2,392/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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Ratnapura reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12720
22720
32720
42720
52720
62719
72719
82719
92719
102719
112719
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Ratnapura weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°30822.811.74.5
Feb28° / 19°27920.511.84.6
Mar28° / 20°30927.4123.7
Apr28° / 21°4682912.13.3
May27° / 22°31029.612.33.4
Jun26° / 22°26727.912.43.6
Jul26° / 21°24628.512.33.7
Aug26° / 21°22828.312.23.7
Sep26° / 21°24626123.9
Oct27° / 21°49727.511.93.8
Nov27° / 20°66126.911.73.8
Dec27° / 20°51526.111.64.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43169
53169
63268
73367
83367
93367
103367
113367
123367
133367
143268
153367
163268
173268
183268
193268
203268
213367
223367
233466
243466
253565
263466
273565
283565
293565
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Ratnapura gets around 308 mm of rain over 22.8 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 73% and peaks near 79% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
179
279
379
479
579
679
779
879
978
1078
1177
1276
1375
1474
1573
1672
1771
1871
1970
2069
2169
2268
2368
2468
2569
2669
2769
2870
2970
3071
3171

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 70% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 94% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
156827
256827
356827
456827
556827
656827
756827
856827
956827
1056827
1156926
1256926
1357025
1457025
1557124
1657124
1757223
1857322
1967222
2067321
2167321
2267420
2377320
2477320
2577320
2677320
2787220
2887121
2987121
3087022
3187022

Wind in January

Winds average 3 km/h in January, the calmest month.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

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 6:23 AM to 6:31 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)
111.66:236:00
211.66:236:01
311.66:246:01
411.66:246:02
511.66:256:02
611.66:256:03
711.66:256:03
811.66:266:03
911.66:266:04
1011.66:266:04
1111.66:276:05
1211.66:276:05
1311.66:276:06
1411.66:286:06
1511.66:286:07
1611.76:286:07
1711.76:286:08
1811.76:296:08
1911.76:296:08
2011.76:296:09
2111.76:296:09
2211.76:296:10
2311.76:306:10
2411.76:306:10
2511.76:306:11
2611.76:306:11
2711.76:306:12
2811.76:306:12
2911.76:306:12
3011.76:306:13
3111.76:316:13

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.23 kWh/m² to a high of 6.05 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.96 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Ratnapura

In seasonPeak

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

Ratnapura 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 Ratnapura?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Ratnapura for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ratnapura in January

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

In January, Ratnapura sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ratnapura 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 59 km away) is warmest in April at about 30°C and coldest in August near 28°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
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Ratnapura in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ratnapura peaks around April 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeApr 17UV 14Dec 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Ratnapura 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 Ratnapura 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 Ratnapura?

Ratnapura sits at 6.7°N, 80.4°E, 73 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Hatton, 31 km away.

HattonHanwella IhalaHomagamaKalutaraBeruwalaNuwara EliyaBentotaPanadura

Topography around Ratnapura

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ratnapura has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 364 m around an average of 79 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,947 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,500 m.

The land around Ratnapura is covered by trees (93%) within 3 km, trees (98%) within 16 km, and trees (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
364 m
16 km
1,947 m
80 km
2,500 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Hatton 31 km · Hanwella Ihala 43 km · Homagama 48 km · Kalutara 50 km · Beruwala 52 km · Nuwara Eliya 53 km · Bentota 54 km · Panadura 55 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 Ratnapura (6.6858°, 80.4036°, elevation 73 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).