Climate averages 1991–2020
Matara weather
in January.
A hot, wet month: the 4th warmest and the 2nd driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
January is a hot month in Matara: daytime highs average 29.1°C and nights cool to about 23.4°C. By daytime temperature it is the 4th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 97 mm of rain on roughly 14 days, which makes January a wet month (the 2nd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 49 min on an average January day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Galle (38 km away). In January its highs average 28.3°C, 0.8°C cooler than Matara, with 64 mm of rain.
Among the 12 cities listed in Sri Lanka, Matara ranks 5th of 12 for the warmest January highs and 8th of 12 for the driest January (rainfall, lowest first). The mean January high of those 12 cities is 28.2°C; Matara is 0.9°C warmer than that mean.
From January to February, average highs rise by 0.9°C to 30.0°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 97 mm to 79 mm.
The annual picture
January in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Matara climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January, selected | 29.1°C23.4°C | 23.4°C | 97 | 14.4 | 11.812 h |
| February | 30.0°C23.8°C | 23.8°C | 79 | 12.6 | 11.912 h |
| March | 30.5°C24.6°C | 24.6°C | 99 | 18.1 | 12.112 h |
| April | 29.9°C25.2°C | 25.2°C | 182 | 25.5 | 12.212 h |
| May | 29.0°C25.4°C | 25.4°C | 224 | 28.3 | 12.412 h |
| June | 28.5°C25.1°C | 25.1°C | 187 | 26.8 | 12.512 h |
| July | 28.3°C24.8°C | 24.8°C | 159 | 26.7 | 12.412 h |
| August | 28.2°C24.7°C | 24.7°C | 159 | 26.7 | 12.312 h |
| September | 28.2°C24.6°C | 24.6°C | 196 | 26.2 | 12.212 h |
| October | 28.4°C24.4°C | 24.4°C | 250 | 26.5 | 12.012 h |
| November | 28.5°C24.1°C | 24.1°C | 296 | 25.3 | 11.912 h |
| December | 28.6°C23.7°C | 23.7°C | 199 | 21.2 | 11.812 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
January in nearby cities
- Galle in JanuarySri Lanka · 38 kmHigh 28.3°C · Low 23.6°C · 64 mm rain
- Ambalantota in JanuarySri Lanka · 57 kmHigh 29.6°C · Low 23.2°C · 56 mm rain
- Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia in JanuarySri Lanka · 123 kmHigh 29.9°C · Low 23.1°C · 60 mm rain
- Colombo in JanuarySri Lanka · 133 kmHigh 30.4°C · Low 22.9°C · 53 mm rain
- Kandy in JanuarySri Lanka · 150 kmHigh 25.7°C · Low 19.1°C · 110 mm rain
- Negombo in JanuarySri Lanka · 160 kmHigh 30.2°C · Low 23.2°C · 38 mm rain
- Kalmunai in JanuarySri Lanka · 217 kmHigh 27.0°C · Low 24.0°C · 186 mm rain
- Batticaloa in JanuarySri Lanka · 234 kmHigh 27.1°C · Low 23.2°C · 170 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Matara) is explained once on the Matara year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.