Ratnapura weather in October

In October, Ratnapura sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 497 mm of rain across 27.5 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-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 3% of the time in October, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Ratnapura's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ratnapura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
8th warmest
Overnight low
21°
6th coldest
Rainfall
497 mm
27.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
5:58 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
84%
8th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical October day in Ratnapura reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 28°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)
12621
22621
32621
42621
52621
62621
72621
82621
92621
102621
112721
122721
132721
142721
152721
162721
172721
182721
192721
202721
212721
222721
232721
242721
252721
262721
272721
282721
292721
302721
312721

Ratnapura weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11189
21288
31387
41387
51387
61387
71387
81387
91387
101288
111189
121189
131189
141189
151189
161090
171090
181090
191090
201189
211189
221189
231189
241189
251090
261189
271189
281189
291189
301189
311090

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Ratnapura gets around 497 mm of rain over 27.5 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

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

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
288
388
488
588
688
788
888
988
1088
1188
1288
1388
1488
1589
1689
1789
1889
1989
2089
2189
2289
2389
2489
2589
2689
2789
2889
2989
3089
3189

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the oppressive band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
104654
204654
304654
404654
504555
604555
704555
804456
904456
1004357
1104357
1204258
1304258
1404258
1504159
1604159
1704060
1804060
1903961
2003961
2103961
2203961
2313960
2413960
2513960
2613960
2713960
2813960
2913960
3013960
3114059

Wind in October

Winds average 5 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

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 5:59 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 5:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:595:56
211.95:595:55
311.95:595:55
411.95:595:54
511.95:595:54
611.95:595:53
711.95:585:53
811.95:585:52
911.95:585:52
1011.95:585:51
1111.95:585:51
1211.95:585:50
1311.95:585:50
1411.95:585:50
1511.95:585:49
1611.95:585:49
1711.85:585:49
1811.85:585:48
1911.85:585:48
2011.85:585:48
2111.85:585:47
2211.85:585:47
2311.85:585:47
2411.85:585:46
2511.85:585:46
2611.85:585:46
2711.85:585:46
2811.85:595:45
2911.85:595:45
3011.85:595:45
3111.85:595:45

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.6 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 — October's 4.6 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Ratnapura

In seasonPeak

In October, Ratnapura sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 October a good time to visit Ratnapura?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ratnapura.

What to pack for Ratnapura in October

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

In October, Ratnapura sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 21°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Ratnapura in October

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in October — 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 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 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 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 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
October 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).