India Guide
Weather
India's weather is extremely varied. The most influential feature of the Subcontinent's climate – the wet season, or monsoon – breaks on the Keralan coast at the end of May, working its way northeast across the country over the following month and a half. While it lasts, regular and prolonged downpours are interspersed with bursts of hot sunshine, and the pervasive humidity can be intense. At the height of the monsoon – especially in the jungle regions of the northwest and the low-lying delta lands of Bengal – flooding can severely disrupt communications. In the Himalayan foothills, landslides are common, and entire valley systems can be cut off for weeks.
By September, the monsoon has largely receded from the north. The east coast of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and the south of Kerala, get a second drenching between October and December, when the "northwest" or "retreating" monsoon sweeps in from the Bay of Bengal. By December, however, most of the Subcontinent enjoys clear skies and relatively cool temperatures.
Mid-winter sees the most marked contrasts between the climates of north and south. While Delhi may be ravaged by chill winds blowing off the snowfields of the Himalayas, the Tamil plains and coastal Kerala, still stew under fierce post-monsoon sunshine. As spring gathers pace, the centre heats up again, with thermometers nudging 33°C by late March. Temperatures peak in May and early June, when anyone who can retreats to the hill stations. Above the baking land mass, hot air builds up and sucks in humidity from the southwest, causing the onset of the monsoon.
The best time to visit most of the country, therefore, is during the cool, dry season, between November and March. Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are ideal at this time, and temperatures in Goa and central India also remain comfortable. While never less than intense, the heat of the south becomes stifling in May and June. From January and March onwards, the Himalayas grow increasingly accessible, and the trekking season reaches its peak in August and September while the rest of the Subcontinent is being soaked by the rains.