Best time to visit India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) divides the year into winter (January and February), pre-monsoon (March to May), southwest monsoon (June to September) and post-monsoon (October to December).^[2] The southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around 1 June and covers the entire country around 8 July.^[1] Withdrawal normally begins in the northwest in mid-September, and by about 15 October the monsoon has left most of the country except the south peninsula and some neighbouring parts of central India.^[3]

From October the winds turn northeasterly, and IMD uses the term northeast monsoon for the October to December rains of the south peninsula.^[2] That is the main rainy season of Tamil Nadu: IMD puts 48% of the annual rainfall of the Tamil Nadu sub-division in October to December, and the normal onset over coastal Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh is 20 October.^[4] During the southwest monsoon the southeastern parts of India stay in a rain shadow and receive only moderate rain.^[5] Cyclone risk follows its own calendar: IMD describes a main peak of tropical cyclone frequency in the north Indian Ocean in November and a second peak in May, with storms of severe intensity typical of May to June and October to November.^[6]

Leh is a summer destination. It is rated best from April to October, with mean daily highs of 17.4 °C in May and 24.7 °C in July and no more than 13 mm of rain in any month. In January the mean daily high is -3.1 °C and the mean low -14.6 °C. Temperatures begin to fall in the second half of August and it gets distinctly cold from mid-September, and visitors from November to April need heavy woollens.^[7] The Srinagar to Leh highway is normally open to vehicles from May to November or December and the Manali to Leh highway from May or June to September or October, and daily flights connect Leh with New Delhi.^[8]

Dehradun and Darjeeling follow the monsoon much more than Leh does. Both are rated best from October to April and poor in July and August, and Darjeeling is also poor in June and September. Dehradun receives 516 mm of rain in July and 556 mm in August, and Darjeeling 778 mm in July. The Darjeeling district administration names landslides in the rainy season as a common hazard, with heavy monsoon rain a very common cause and road slopes especially prone to failure.^[9] Higher up in the Uttarakhand Himalaya, the Valley of Flowers is best viewed from May to October, with the most flowers from July to September.^[10]

Delhi, Agra and Varanasi are rated best from October to March, with dry days and mild afternoons. Mean daily highs in January are 20.3 °C in Delhi, 21.4 °C in Agra and 22.2 °C in Varanasi, and the mean lows are 7.9 °C, 7.9 °C and 10.0 °C. Winter has its own problems, because IMD notes that foggy conditions prevail over the plains of north India for several days or weeks in winter.^[2] In the post-monsoon and winter months, lower temperatures, low mixing heights and stagnant winds trap pollutants over Delhi and the surrounding region, and firecrackers and stubble burning add to it, according to the Ministry of Environment as reported by the Press Information Bureau.^[11] Check the daily air quality before planning long days outdoors from late autumn to January.

From April the heat builds: in May the mean daily high is 40.0 °C in Delhi, 41.5 °C in Agra and 40.7 °C in Varanasi, and all three are rated poor. IMD declares a heat wave in the plains when a station reaches at least 40 °C and runs several degrees above its normal, and always when the maximum stays at 45 °C or more.^[2] The monsoon normally arrives in Varanasi around 23 June and in Delhi and Agra around 27 June, and it withdraws around 4 October from Varanasi, 25 September from Delhi and 28 September from Agra.^[3] July and August bring 198 and 231 mm in Delhi, 216 and 262 mm in Agra and 316 and 348 mm in Varanasi, and all three are rated mixed in both months. The Taj Mahal in Agra is closed to general viewing on Fridays.^[12]

Jaipur and Udaipur are rated best from October to March. The hot season is long: in May the mean daily high is 40.7 °C in Jaipur, which is rated poor, and 39.1 °C in Udaipur, rated mixed. The monsoon normally reaches Udaipur around 25 June and Jaipur around 29 June, and it withdraws around 25 September from Udaipur and 23 September from Jaipur.^[3] July and August bring 188 and 220 mm in Jaipur and 246 and 227 mm in Udaipur, and September works as a shoulder month: Jaipur is rated best in September with 98 mm, and Udaipur good.

For wildlife, Rajasthan Tourism lists Ranthambore, which is reached by road from Jaipur, as open from October to June.^[13] That window overlaps the cooler months, when both cities are rated best.

Kolkata is rated best from November to March, with 17 mm of rain in January and 25 mm in November. Mean daily highs rise from 26.0 °C in January to 36.1 °C in April and May, and the rains are heavy from June to September, with 290, 355, 356 and 304 mm. Tropical storms passed within about 200 km of Kolkata in 5 of 30 years in May, 4 in October and 5 in November. That matches IMD's two yearly peaks of cyclone frequency, in November and May.^[6]

Durga Puja, celebrated in September or October and best known in Kolkata, is marked by large installations and pavilions in urban areas.^[14] Book hotels and trains early if your dates fall in that period.

Mumbai and Goa are rated best or good from October to May. Mumbai gets 1 to 3 mm of rain a month from January to April and Goa 0 to 6 mm. June to September is poor in Mumbai, with 535 mm in June, 819 in July, 534 in August and 439 in September, and Goa is poor from June to August with 846, 876 and 519 mm. The monsoon normally reaches Kochi around 1 June, Goa around 5 June and Mumbai around 11 June, and it withdraws from Mumbai around 8 October and from Goa around 14 October.^[3] Goa's water sports policy bars water sports in unsafe weather, in the monsoons and during storms.^[15]

Kochi has a different rhythm. It is rated best from December to March and poor from May to October, with 358 mm in May, 736 in June, 719 in July and 372 in October. Kerala has a second wet spell in the northeast monsoon: IMD gives 492 mm as the normal October to December rainfall of the Kerala sub-division.^[4]

Bengaluru is the easy case: it is rated best or good in every month, with mean daily highs between 26.4 °C and 33.7 °C all year. The wettest months are September and October, with 170 and 190 mm. The monsoon normally reaches Bengaluru around 3 June.^[3]

Chennai runs on a different calendar. It is rated best from January to March, while November is poor with 343 mm of rain, October mixed with 293 mm and December mixed with 132 mm. Tropical storms passed within about 200 km in 4 of 30 years in October, 6 in November and 7 in December. The northeast monsoon normally begins over coastal Tamil Nadu around 20 October, and the season brings 48% of the annual rainfall of the Tamil Nadu sub-division.^[4] The southwest monsoon months are comparatively moderate: July has 106 mm and is rated good, while May and June are hot, with mean daily highs of 37.8 °C and 37.3 °C, and rated mixed.

The Andaman Islands are rated best from December to April, with mean daily highs between 29.2 °C and 32.7 °C all year and 23 mm of rain in February. Port Blair is now officially called Sri Vijaya Puram.^[16] The islands' forest department describes a rainy season from May to October, heaviest in June, July and August, a northeast monsoon that starts in November and spreads over December, and January to April as the calmest and driest months. Cyclones that form in the Bay of Bengal seldom hit the islands directly, but they do affect the weather there.^[17] Our data rate July to September poor, with 364, 354 and 469 mm of rain.

Sea travel between the islands is the practical constraint in the rainy months: the Ministry of Tourism describes the sea between Port Blair and the other islands as choppy and the weather as unpredictable during the monsoon.^[18]