India’s one of the top key tourist destinations in Asia, welcoming over 8 million visitors each year. Its weather, however, is the dominant factor in deciding when to visit this exotic and enticing country. The Subcontinent’s climate differs greatly from the Western climatic delineation based on the four season system of Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. India has only three seasons winter, summer and the monsoon. The weather in India, however, is extremely varied with the most influential feature being the Monsoon (or the wet season).
Seasons in India
Together the wet and the dry season produce a three-tier general climatic period over much of the country:
- 1) hot and wet weather from June to September;
- 2) cool and dry weather from October to February; and
- 3) hot and dry weather from about mid-June until March. December and January are the coolest months of the year with temperatures dropping to as low as -15°C in some parts of the country.
On the other hand, summer temperatures can reach near 50°C during the months of May and June. The monsoon coincides, or rather follows, the scorching temperatures and travelling around is best avoided during this time.
When is the best time to visit India?
The best time to visit India is between October and March when the weather is pleasant throughout the whole country.
It is, however, important to remember that India’s geographical diversity also extends to its climate, making for a vast range of changeable weather conditions. Some of these may even occur unexpectedly but on the whole India’s three-tier climate system is pretty reliable.
Generally, India is hot most of the year yet with significant variations from region to region.
Humidity and heavy rainfall during the monsoon is something to take into consideration as it may cause serious disruptions to your plans.
The months of June and April can be unbearably hot in the North and very humid in the South. The monsoon period is particularly heavy with rainfall in the southwestern states of Goa, Maharastra and Kerala. The Himalayas can be very cold from November to January, but the luscious foothills provide a welcome escape from the plains between March and June and again in September.
Winter (December–March)
The most opportune time to see as much of the country as possible without being hindered by its climatic temperament is mid-October/November to March. Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Varanasi, Rajasthan, Goa, Karnataka and central states such Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are at their best during this time of year.
If you wish to travel exclusively South, however, aim to get there before May and June as the weather in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are at their best between January and early March. Please note that intense tropical cyclones occur in some parts of India in what is referred to as a post-monsoon period, originating from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian coast. They are notorious for causing heavy rainfall and storm-tides, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal during the month of October. The post-monsoon period is also known to affect the Himalayas with intermittent storms and persistent rain and snowfall, which then carries to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Summer (April–June)
Once spring arrives, however, the Subcontinent begins to warm up again and by late March temperatures are at their highest reaching around 50°C across most of the Gangetic plains and the Deccan plateau. Temperatures peak in May and early June, making it the most auspicious time to visit the hill-station towns and the mountainous regions across the country. From about this time onward the Himalayas become more accessible, and the trekking season reaches its peak in August and September while the rest of the Subcontinent is overwrought with torrential downpours.
Monsoon (July–September)
The monsoon commences on the Keralan coast at the end of May, moving northeast across India for about a month and a half. During its peak, the monsoon is characterised by almost continuous rain with short intermissions of clear skies and sunshine. The humidity, however, especially in the jungle regions of the northwest and the delta lands of Bengal is extremely intense. The rains frequently wreak havoc, disrupting all forms of telecommunication due to power outages. In the Himalayan region, landslides are common and unpredictable and thus entire valleys often come to a standstill due to road blockages. In some places this has been known to last for weeks, in others it may only last days.
The wet season begins in earnest in the middle of June and ends about mid-October. It gradually travels across the country with varyingly heavy rainfall and, in some cases, flooding. Normally, three-quarters of the country’s annual precipitation takes place during these months.
Post-monsoon (October–November)
By the month of September, however, the monsoon recedes from the North, but it takes some time before the overcast skies disappear altogether. The East coast of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and the Southern state of Kerala receive a second round of rainfall during the months of October and December when the retreating monsoon comes in from the Bay of Bengal.
In other parts of India, however, the month of December brings with it clear skies although temperature levels tend to remain relatively cool. During this period, the most marked contrast is between the North and the South. While, for example, the Himalayas may still be experiencing intermittent snowfall which often carries its chills toward Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Kerala remain hot and humid.
Leave a Reply