India Climate

Generally apart from the Himalayan region, most of India is hot; but the southwest monsoon (from June to September) brings heavy rains and high humidity, and lower temperature.  As a generalisation, in the summer months (March to May), the temperature can be up to 48°C.   Most rain falls during the southwest monsoon season (June to September) in all regions and the weather tends to become cooler.  October to November is the northeast monsoon season, with less rain falling.  Winter is from December to February and is dryer and cooler.

Despite the above generalisation, India has several climatic zones caused by their geographical locations and altitude, and the temperatures and precipitations in each location can vary from year to year.

In the Himalayas, the temperatures become cooler in higher altitudes.  For land above 4,500 m, the temperature tends to be below freezing.  However, in the lower-lying valleys and basins, the summer temperature can be in the low 30s Celsius.

In the Indian northeast region of Assam and West Bengal, the climate is wet and humid and hot in the south near the Bay of Bengal, but is much cooler in the Himalayan portion of the states, such as at the Darjeeling Hill Station.

For the Ganges basin, the temperatures and precipitations vary from the west to the east.  Average annual rainfall increases as one moves from the west (about 60 cm) to the east (about 150 cm).  During the spring, parts of the Ganges basin especially around Delhi tend to be foggy.

In the Peninsula, the Western Ghats region (off the Arabian Sea) receives much heavier rain than the Eastern Ghats (off the Bay of Bengal).

The southwest monsoon, which comes from the Arabian Sea from June to September, accounts for most of the India’s rainfall.  The northeast monsoon comes in November and December with wind from the northeast bringing rain to the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.