Best Time To Travel To: India
India is a relatively large country and runs from 8 ° to 33 °, north. The landscape of the country is very diverse, from wide plains to river plains e.g. the Ganges to the mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Seen in this way, one can well imagine that almost anything is possible in this country from a climatic point of view. In India you can find regions with almost year-round snowfields up to tropical coastal regions. Many areas are desert-like and sparsely populated, while others are intensely cultivated through rice cultivation.
For the most part, India is heavily influenced by the Asian monsoons. A monsoon doesn't always blow in one direction, rather it changes direction depending on the season. From June to October, almost all of India is influenced by the monsoons which sweep across the country from the southwest. Then it is humid and rainy. In the mountainous regions towards the coast extremely heavy rains can occur.
It tends to be the coolest and driest in the whole country from December to February. Then light breezes blow from the north. They bring little rain and the sky is often cloudless. From March to May it is often very hot and very dry. There is only rain when the wind turns southwest.
In the south of India it usually gets rainy from May to the beginning of June. This rain usually reaches the north about 6 weeks later. The monsoon can theoretically also be absent. This has a very strong effect on the Indian climate, it can also cause great problems for people and endanger the harvest.
India is usually divided into seven climatic regions: the Himalayan region in the north, the plains from the Ganges to Delhi, the Rajasthan desert, the Deccan Plateau, the west coast, the coast in the southeast and Assam in the northeast.
The mountain regions in the north
Here we are talking about the Himalayas and the foothills. In principle, rainfall can occur here throughout the year. The main rainy season is clearly from July to October during the southwest monsoon. Here, too, one has to reckon with shifts, for example in June 2013 the monsoon rain set in very early and caused catastrophic conditions in places. The winters are actually pleasant and a bit cool in not that high altitudes until the monsoon breaks out, but it can get quite hot. Summers are quite pleasant and slightly cool on central elevations up to approx. 2,500 meters. Sikkim, for example, is climatically similar to Nepal. Many who want to escape the great summer heat of the plains in the north are drawn to Kashmir or places like Simla / Shimla and Darjeeling.
The plains of the north
The plains stretch from the Punjab to the Ganges Delta. Especially from March to June it gets very hot and also very dry here. In some places, however, violent storms can occur during this phase, especially in the east of the region. With the onset of the monsoon in July, the temperatures drop a little, but it becomes uncomfortably humid and humid. At night it gets downright sticky and humid. During the winter from December to February it is usually sunny and dry here, but not hot. The nights and early morning hours can get cool, but during the day it can get warmer. But the experience of the last few years has also shown that the north can be hit again and again by violent cold waves. It was last like this in January 2010 and January 2011. In Ladakh, low temperatures of below -20 ° C are then reached. For example, on January 9th, 2011 in Delhi, the coldest value measured in 40 years was only 3 ° C. Light rain showers are always possible even in winter, especially in the west. The tables of Calcutta and New Delhi are meaningful for the weather in the east and in the somewhat drier west.
The desert of Rajasthan
Nomen est omen: the climate here is desert-like. It can be compared to the climate in neighboring Pakistan, especially Jacobabad. The region of Rajasthan is one of the hottest and driest regions in the whole world, especially from May to July. The then onset of the monsoon brings only little rain and the temperatures hardly drop. On the contrary: July to September is extremely humid and very stuffy in places. The supposedly cool season from November to March is also comparatively warm.
The Deccan Plateau
The climate here is different from other areas in the country. You can perceive three seasons of the year climatically. Basically, it rains relatively little here. You have to reckon with very high temperatures here in summer as well, which can approach the values of the plains in the north. Basically, the height always plays a major role. But there is a tendency towards the south all year round to perceive an almost tropical climate. Then the days are warm and sunny. The air is relatively dry, the next one is pleasantly refreshing. The climate table of Hyderabad is typical for this region.
The West Coast
The west coast is shielded from the interior by the Western Ghat mountain ranges. However, it does not rain beforehand. Therefore, during the monsoon, one must expect heavy rains on the west coast. The climate is basically warm to hot and often very unpleasantly humid due to the high humidity. Somewhat more pleasant are the places in the Ghats. However, the places are often very humid and cloudy, but just not quite as muggy. Typical for the coastal region is the climate table of Mumbai (formerly Bombay).
The coastal regions in the southeast
The main rains tend to appear here in the period from October to December. One must then expect violent storms, especially around the coasts of Bengal. During the period of the southwest monsoon from June to September, the region presents itself mostly cloudless. It then becomes very uncomfortably hot and humid. During the southwest monsoon it rains abundantly especially on the east coast around Banda, basically heavy rain with strong winds often lasts here until November. Typical for the region can be the climate table of Madras.
Assam
Assam is practically separated from the rest of India by Bangladesh. Assam is scenically diverse. One finds many plains but also mountainous regions. The climate is, depending on the altitude, comparable to that of the northern lowlands and also the Himalayan region. Heavy rains can fall from March to May. However, the main rainy season is from June to October. Cherrapunji at an altitude of about 1,300 meters, for example, is considered one of the wettest places in the world. For the lower lying parts of Assam, the climate table of Dhubri can be described as typical.
The heaviest rainfall tends to be in the Malabar Coast, the Konkan Coast, Assam, Bengal, Chota, Nagpur and the Eastern Himalayas. It is relatively dry in central India, the western Dakkan, the southeast, west and northwest.
In the transitional phase after the summer monsoon from October to December it is relatively dry, from December to March is winter monsoon which brings precipitation especially in the Himalayas.
When is the best time for India
The best time for India is generally considered to be between October and March. Then it is (more or less) winter, the temperatures are pleasant and one is usually somewhat outside the extreme rain phases. It does get cool at night during this time, but the days are tolerably warm. But India is too big a country to speak of one good phase or one best time to travel in India. The experiences of the last years show that. In the north and in some places in the east of India you have to expect severe cold spells in December and January. Basically you should avoid the rainy seasons (June-September and in South India November and December). Theoretically, you could go on vacation in the country, because monsoon rains are usually heavy, but mostly short. Nevertheless, even short rains are enough here to cause extreme situations. In Leh in Ladakh, there were bad storms in August 2010, and in the north, monsoon rains caused catastrophic conditions in June 2013. Also problematic can be May, because it can get incredibly hot (as mentioned above up to 50°C in Rajasthan!).
