Weather
Generally, India's climate is defined by three seasons – the hot, the wet (monsoon) and the cool, each of which can vary in duration from north to south. The most pleasant time to visit most places is during the cooler period: November to around mid-February.
The heat starts to build up on India's northern plains from around February, and by April or May it really heats up, peaking in June. In central India temperatures of 120°F and above are commonplace. South India also becomes uncomfortably hot during this time. Late in May the first signs of the monsoon are visible in some areas – high humidity, electrical storms, short rainstorms and dust storms that turn day into night.
When the monsoon finally arrives, the rain comes in steadily, generally starting around the first of June in the extreme south and sweeping north to cover the whole country by early July. The main monsoon comes from the southwest, but the southeast coast (and southern Kerala) is largely affected by the short and surprisingly wet northeast monsoon, which brings rain from around October to early December.
Things don't really cool down: at first hot, dry and dusty weather is simply replaced by hot, humid and muddy conditions. It doesn't rain all day, but it rains every day. Followed by the sun this creates a fatiguing steam bath-like environment.
Around October the monsoon ends for most of the country as it's generally not too hot and not too cool (October can still be humid in some regions). In the thick of winter (around mid-December to mid-January), Delhi and other northern cities can become astonishingly cold, especially at night – and it's bone-chilling in the far north. In the far south the temperatures become comfortably warm during this period.
Temperature (ºF) - Average lows and highs
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
|
Agra |
43/73 |
46/78 |
55/89 |
67/101 |
77/107 |
83/105 |
Delhi |
48/68 |
53/73 |
62/83 |
72/95 |
80/101 |
83/101 |
Goa |
70/88 |
63/90 |
68/90 |
75/91 |
81/91 |
75/88 |
Jaipur |
49/71 |
54/76 |
63/87 |
74/97 |
80/103 |
83/101 |
Jodhpur (ave) |
62 |
66 |
77 |
86 |
93 |
93 |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
|
Kerala |
73/88 |
75/88 |
79/88 |
79/88 |
79/88 |
75/84 |
Khajuraho |
44/75 |
50/81 |
59/93 |
72/104 |
81/107 |
84/102 |
Kolkata |
54/79 |
59/84 |
68/93 |
75/97 |
79/97 |
79/93 |
Mumbai |
65/85 |
67/86 |
72/89 |
77/90 |
81/91 |
81/88 |
Udaipur |
46/76 |
49/82 |
59/90 |
68/98 |
77/102 |
78/97 |
Varanasi |
73 |
80 |
91 |
102 |
106 |
102 |
Temperature (ºF) - Average lows and highs (Continued)
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Agra |
80/95 |
78/92 |
75/93 |
62/94 |
49/85 |
44/76 |
Delhi |
81/93 |
80/91 |
78/92 |
68/90 |
57/81 |
49/71 |
Goa |
73/84 |
75/84 |
75/84 |
75/88 |
73/91 |
70/91 |
Jaipur |
79/91 |
77/89 |
75/92 |
69/91 |
59/82 |
51/73 |
Jodhpur (ave) |
87 |
84 |
84 |
80 |
73 |
64 |
July |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Kerala |
75/82 |
75/82 |
75/82 |
75/84 |
75/86 |
73/86 |
Khajuraho |
79/91 |
77/89 |
75/89 |
68/89 |
54/84 |
48/77 |
Kolkata |
79/90 |
79/90 |
79/90 |
75/88 |
64/84 |
55/81 |
Mumbai |
79/85 |
78/84 |
77/86 |
76/90 |
72/90 |
67/87 |
Udaipur |
75/88 |
74/86 |
71/86 |
62/88 |
53/83 |
47/78 |
Varanasi |
91 |
89 |
89 |
89 |
84 |
77 |
Pushkar: The climate is of an extreme desert type and witnesses wide differences in the day and night temperatures. In the summer time, the days are hot, with the blazing with its full strength. The nighttime is a complete contrast. The nights in Pushkar are pretty cold, even in summers. The average temperature in the summers ranges from 113°F to 77°F approximately. The climatic conditions in the winter season are quite pleasant. The average temperature in winters ranges around 50°F. Rainfall in this city is very little.
National Parks:
Bandhavgarh National Park: The climate is north Indian monsoon, characterized by well-defined winters, summers and rains. The mercury has been recorded to drop to a low of 35 °F (in January) and a high of 111 °F (in May). Average rainfall is 46”, most of which falls during the monsoons. Some rains result from the cyclones as well, between the months of November and February.
Gir National Park: In addition to the two seasons of summer and winter, Gir has a tropical monsoon climate. It can become very hot during the summer, with noon temperature reaching 109 °F, and humid during the monsoon in June. In Winter the temperature drops to about 50°F. The normal monsoon starts from mid-June and lasts till September, with the annual rainfall ranging between 27” and 40”. However, because of the irregular monsoon and uneven distribution of rainfall across the peninsula, drought years are common.
Kanha National Park: The climate is extreme, with summer (April-June) temperatures rising to 110°F. The monsoons are from mid-June to September when an average of 71” of rain falls. Winters (November-February) can be quite cold, when frost often covers the meadows.
Kaziranga National Park: Three seasons can be distinguished. Summer, which is dry and windy, extends from mid-February to May with mean maximum and minimum temperatures of 99°F and 45°F, respectively. The monsoon occurs from May to September when conditions are warm and humid. Most of the rainfall of 9” falls during this season. Winters are from November to mid-February with conditions being mild and dry, and maximum and minimum temperatures being 79°F and 41°F respectively.
Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur): During summers (April- June), the temperature ranges from 100°F to 113°F. The onset of monsoon (July-August) lowers the temperature to about 80°F, with the relative humidity being 70-75 % during this period. Winter season (October-March) peaks after Christmas with temperatures falling below 50°F. Ground fog in the winter persists rather erratically on unspecified periods in January.
Pench National Park: The park experiences a tropical kind of a climate and there are drastic variations in the climatic conditions with hot summers and cold winters. Early July experiences heavy rainfall and the rainy season continues for the next two months. The average rainfall annually is around 51” in the months of July and August during when the national park is shut down. It is the winters which are the most comfortable months though it is not the best time for any exclusive wildlife viewing. The minimum and maximum temperatures recorded in Pench National Park are 39°F and 105°F respectively. The winters also experiences chilly wintry winds.
Periyar National Park: The temperatures vary depending upon the altitude and it ranges between 59°F in December and January and 88°F in April and May. The annual amount of precipitation lies between 79” and 180”. About two thirds of the precipitation occurs during the southwest monsoon between June to September. A smaller amount of precipitation occurs during the northeast monsoon between October and December.
Ranthambhore National Park: The hottest period during the year is between April and June when the temperature can go up to 116°F. (This is the best time to see tigers.) The coldest months in the park are from the end of November to the beginning of February, with the mercury dipping down to 37°F.
Average Rainfall (inches):
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
June |
|
Agra |
0.5 |
0.5 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0.4 |
2.4 |
Delhi |
0.9 |
0.8 |
0.6 |
0.4 |
0.6 |
2.7 |
Goa |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.2 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
22.8 |
Jaipur |
0.4 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0.6 |
2.3 |
Jodhpur |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.4 |
1.3 |
Kerala |
0.4 |
1.4 |
1.9 |
5.5 |
14.3 |
29.7 |
Khajuraho |
0.2 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
0.0 |
3.5 |
Kolkata |
0.5 |
0.8 |
1.2 |
1.9 |
5.3 |
10.4 |
Mumbai |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.5 |
22.3 |
Udaipur |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
3.6 |
Varanasi |
0.9 |
0.3 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
0.3 |
4.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Agra |
8.6 |
8.1 |
4.6 |
0.7 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
Delhi |
7.9 |
7.9 |
4.8 |
0.7 |
0.1 |
0.4 |
Goa |
35.1 |
13.4 |
10.9 |
4.8 |
0.8 |
1.5 |
Jaipur |
7.8 |
8.0 |
3.3 |
0.6 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
Jodhpur |
4.6 |
5.2 |
2.3 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
Kerala |
22.5 |
15.2 |
9.3 |
13.1 |
7.2 |
1.5 |
Khajuraho |
13.7 |
21.1 |
4.5 |
4.2 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
Kolkata |
12.6 |
12.6 |
9.9 |
5.3 |
1.1 |
0.2 |
Mumbai |
25.6 |
19.2 |
14 |
3.5 |
0.2 |
0.0 |
Udaipur |
7.8 |
7.6 |
7.8 |
1.5 |
0.3 |
0.0 |
Varanasi |
13.6 |
9.4 |
10.3 |
1.5 |
0.6 |
0.0 |