Highlights

Rainfall Prediction: From 20th – 26th Jan 2026, moderate rainfall (25-35 mm) is predicted for the Southern Plains and Eastern Plains; light to moderate (0-25 mm) is predicted for the Western Plains and Hills, Eastern Hills and Northern plains. From 27th Jan – 2nd Feb , the rainfall shall increase in Southern Plains and decrease across the rest of SL.

Monitored Rainfall: During 14th – 20th January, the average rainfall across Sri Lanka totaled 5 mm. Highest rainfall was in Ratnapura on 15th Jan, recorded as 9 mm. During this week, SL experienced dry weather conditions. Driest conditions were in Eastern and Southern Plains with average rainfall of 0 mm.

Monitored and Predicted Wind: From 12th- 18th Jan 2026, winds at 1.5 km height were mostly from the northeast at speeds ranging 4-6 m/s. From 21st -27th Jan 2026, wind speeds are predicted to be in the range of 4-15 m/s coming from the northeast. Wind speeds are expected to be higher compared to the previous week.

Monitored Sea and Land Temperature: Seasonable temperature was recorded, which is the lowest during Dec – Jan. The Southern plains had the maximum temp of
31.6°C, while the Eastern Hills had the minimum temperature of 24.7 °C. The sea surface temperature around Northern, Eastern and Southern coasts was below average, ranging between (-1°C) – (- 0.25°C).



Climate Bulletin for Sri Lanka (Week of 23 January – 30 January 2026)

Terminology for Rainfall Ranges

TerminologyRainfall (mm/week)
Light ShowersLess than 12.5 mm
Light to ModerateBetween 12.5 mm and 25 mm
ModerateBetween 25 mm and 50 mm
Fairly HeavyBetween 50 mm and 100 mm
HeavyBetween 100 mm and 150 mm
Very HeavyMore than 150 mm