Vavuniya weather in October

In October, Vavuniya sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 189 mm of rain across 20.2 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-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 9% 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 Vavuniya's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vavuniya's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
8th warmest
Overnight low
24°
6th coldest
Rainfall
189 mm
20.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
5:59 AM – 5:47 PM
Cloud cover
77%
8th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Vavuniya is human settlement.

Density
2,674/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

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

A typical October day in Vavuniya reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 7°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 2°C cooler than September and about 2°C warmer than November.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13325
23325
33325
43325
53325
63325
73325
83325
93225
103225
113225
123225
133225
143225
153225
163224
173224
183224
193124
203124
213124
223124
233124
243124
253124
263124
273124
283124
293124
303124
313024

How October really feels in Vavuniya

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.

Vavuniya weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 22°6910.211.55.4
Feb31° / 22°457.511.75.0
Mar33° / 23°447.311.93.6
Apr34° / 25°10215.212.22.6
May34° / 26°7512.412.42.8
Jun34° / 26°297.212.53.0
Jul34° / 26°458.612.52.9
Aug34° / 26°5810.312.32.9
Sep34° / 25°7211.612.12.9
Oct32° / 24°18920.211.83.0
Nov30° / 23°23422.911.63.5
Dec29° / 23°16318.311.54.5

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42872
52773
62773
72674
82674
92674
102476
112377
122377
132179
142080
151981
161981
171882
181783
191783
201783
211783
221783
231882
241882
251882
261882
271783
281783
291783
301783
311882

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Vavuniya gets around 189 mm of rain over 20.2 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 66% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
155
255
356
456
557
657
758
859
959
1060
1161
1262
1363
1464
1565
1666
1767
1868
1969
2069
2170
2270
2371
2472
2572
2673
2774
2875
2975
3076
3177

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 78% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
148610
248610
348511
448511
548412
648412
748313
848313
948214
1048115
1148115
1248016
1338017
1438017
1537918
1637918
1737819
1847620
1947620
2047521
2147521
2247422
2347422
2447323
2547323
2647224
2747224
2847224
2947125
3047125
3147125

Wind in October

Winds average 11 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212calm
1312calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:59 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:55 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:595:55
211.95:595:54
311.95:595:54
411.95:595:53
511.95:595:52
611.95:595:52
711.95:595:51
811.95:595:51
911.95:595:50
1011.95:595:50
1111.85:595:49
1211.85:595:49
1311.85:595:48
1411.85:595:48
1511.85:595:48
1611.85:595:47
1711.85:595:47
1811.85:595:46
1911.85:595:46
2011.85:595:46
2111.85:595:45
2211.85:595:45
2311.76:005:44
2411.76:005:44
2511.76:005:44
2611.76:005:44
2711.76:005:43
2811.76:005:43
2911.76:005:43
3011.76:015:43
3111.76:015:42

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.84 kWh/m² to a high of 6.24 kWh/m² in March across the year — October's 4.88 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Vavuniya

In seasonPeak

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

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

Vavuniya'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 October a good time to visit Vavuniya?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Vavuniya.

What to pack for Vavuniya in October

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

In October, Vavuniya sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Vavuniya in October

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 58 km away) is warmest in April at about 31°C and coldest in January 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
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr31Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep28Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Vavuniya in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Vavuniya peaks around May 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highMay 10UV 13Dec 22UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Vavuniya 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 Vavuniya is worst in May — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 1323 µg/m³Sep 1516 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Vavuniya?

Vavuniya sits at 8.8°N, 80.5°E, 104 m above sea level, in Sri Lanka. The nearest listed city is Anuradhapura, 50 km away.

AnuradhapuraMullaittivuMannarTrincomaleeSigiriyaDambullaPolonnaruwaPuttalam

Topography around Vavuniya

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vavuniya has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m around an average of 96 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 169 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 732 m.

The land around Vavuniya is covered by trees (58%) within 3 km, trees (64%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
29 m
16 km
169 m
80 km
732 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Anuradhapura 50 km · Mullaittivu 67 km · Mannar 73 km · Trincomalee 83 km · Sigiriya 93 km · Dambulla 101 km · Polonnaruwa 106 km · Puttalam 108 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 Vavuniya (8.7514°, 80.4971°, elevation 104 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).