Sigiriya weather in October

In October, Sigiriya sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 166 mm of rain across 17.7 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 31°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Sigiriya's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sigiriya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
8th warmest
Overnight low
24°
6th coldest
Rainfall
166 mm
17.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
5:57 AM – 5:47 PM
Cloud cover
75%
7th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Sigiriya is ancient rock fortress near Dambulla, Sri Lanka..

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 31°C by the end.

A typical October day in Sigiriya reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C cooler than September and about 2°C warmer than November.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13325
23324
33324
43324
53324
63324
73324
83324
93324
103224
113224
123224
133224
143224
153224
163224
173224
183224
193224
203224
213224
223124
233124
243124
253124
263124
273124
283124
293124
303123
313123

How October really feels in Sigiriya

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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 October is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Sigiriya 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
Jan28° / 21°9814.211.65.0
Feb30° / 22°7110.611.74.8
Mar33° / 23°478.411.93.9
Apr34° / 24°9414.312.22.8
May33° / 25°608.112.43.3
Jun33° / 25°194.612.53.7
Jul33° / 25°214.512.43.7
Aug33° / 25°275.112.33.6
Sep33° / 25°438.5123.4
Oct32° / 24°16617.711.83.2
Nov30° / 23°22222.511.63.4
Dec29° / 22°18620.411.54.2

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33268
43169
53169
63169
73070
82971
92971
102872
112773
122773
132674
142476
152476
162476
172377
182278
192278
202179
212179
222179
232179
242179
252179
262179
272278
282278
292179
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Sigiriya gets around 166 mm of rain over 17.7 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 58% and peaks near 73% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
343
444
545
646
747
848
950
1051
1153
1254
1356
1457
1558
1660
1761
1862
1963
2064
2164
2265
2366
2466
2567
2668
2769
2870
2971
3072
3173

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 89% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1014851
2014851
3014851
4013861
5013861
6013861
7012871
8012871
9011881
10010891
11010891
1209901
1309901
1408911
1508911
1608911
1708911
1808911
1908911
2008911
2108911
2209901
2319891
2419882
25110872
26110872
27110872
28110872
29110872
3019882
3119882

Wind in October

Winds average 12 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612calm
1712calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of October to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:58 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:585:54
211.95:585:53
311.95:585:53
411.95:585:52
511.95:585:52
611.95:585:51
711.95:585:51
811.95:585:50
911.95:575:50
1011.95:575:49
1111.95:575:49
1211.85:575:48
1311.85:575:48
1411.85:575:48
1511.85:575:47
1611.85:575:47
1711.85:575:46
1811.85:575:46
1911.85:575:46
2011.85:585:45
2111.85:585:45
2211.85:585:44
2311.85:585:44
2411.85:585:44
2511.85:585:44
2611.85:585:43
2711.75:585:43
2811.75:585:43
2911.75:595:43
3011.75:595:42
3111.75:595:42

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in March across the year — October's 5.05 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Sigiriya

In seasonPeak

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

Sigiriya's monsoon runs October–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is October a good time to visit Sigiriya?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sigiriya.

What to pack for Sigiriya in October

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

In October, Sigiriya sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Sigiriya 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 Sigiriya peaks around April 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 20UV 14Dec 20UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Sigiriya 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 Sigiriya is worst in May — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 1028 µg/m³Jul 2120 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May28Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov24Moderate
Dec22Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sigiriya?

Sigiriya sits at 7.9°N, 80.8°E, 0 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Dambulla, 15 km away.

PolonnaruwaAnuradhapuraMataleKurunegalaKandyVakaraiTrincomalee

Topography around Sigiriya

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sigiriya has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 m around an average of 201 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 577 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,870 m.

The land around Sigiriya is covered by trees (72%) within 3 km, trees (76%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) within 80 km.

3 km
141 m
16 km
577 m
80 km
1,870 m
treesgrasslandcroplandwater
October weather nearby: Dambulla 15 km · Polonnaruwa 28 km · Anuradhapura 55 km · Matale 55 km · Kurunegala 67 km · Kandy 74 km · Vakarai 78 km · Trincomalee 87 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 Sigiriya (7.9495°, 80.7504°, elevation 0 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).