Menu:
CLIMATE
Climate plays a key role in deciding the best time to visit India. Though it isn't easy a task to take on the changing climatic conditions of a tropical country that begins from the chilly Himalayas to the red-hot Rajasthan and down to the shores of the Indian Ocean , October to March tend to be mainly pleasant months in India, when it is reasonably dry and cool. India's climate is categorized by three seasons -the hot summers, the monsoons and the winters, each of which varies in its extent from up north to south.
High temperatures start to build up on India's northern plains beginning around February, and by April or May the climate begins to hot up, peaking in June. Temperatures around 45°C and above are common in central India. South India gets swelteringly hot too during this time.
The first signs of the monsoon showers start to arrive late in May in some areas - humidity gets high, short rainstorms and dust storms are usually seen during this period. This is the best time to head to hill stations which are at their best for some respite from the scorching and sizzling heat of the plains.
The onset of monsoons brings in steady rains usually starting around early June in the south and covers the entire country by mid July. The main monsoon sets in from the southwest, but the southeast coast and southern Kerala is largely affected by short and unpredictably wet northeast monsoons, which brings rain from around October to early December.
Monsoons come to an end around October for most parts in the country. India usually is bustling with tourists around this time of the season. October to November is by and large neither too hot nor too cool (October can still be humid in some parts of the country. During peak winters (around mid-December to mid-January), Delhi and other northern cities get extremely cold, particularly in the evenings. Down south the temperatures are relatively snug and warm during this period.
The best months to visit are between December and September for the southern parts of India, while northeastern areas of India have a tendency to be more comfy between March and August. The deserts of Rajasthan (west of Jodhpur) and the northwestern Indian Himalayan region are at their finest during the monsoon (July to September). The mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir ought to be visited over the summer months (May to September).