Since
India is a vast country spanning nearly 3,220 kms from the cold
environs of the Himalayas in the north to the warmer weather
in the south, the climate varies dramatically from region to
region. Coolest weather lasts from November to mid-March, with
cool, fresh mornings and evenings and dry, sunny days. Really
hot weather, when it is dry, dusty and unpleasant, is between
April and June. Monsoon rains occur in most regions in summer
between June and September.
Western Himalayas: Srinagar best from March to October.
July to August can be unpleasant; cold and damp in winter. Shimla
is higher and therefore colder in v inter and places like Pahalgam.
Gulmarg and Manali under several feet of snow (December to March)
and temperatures in Ladakh can be extremly cold. The road to
Leh is open from June to October.
Required clothing: Lightweight to medium weights from March
to October. Warmer wear for winter. Weather can change rapidly
in mountains and it is therefore important to be suitably equipped.
Northern Plains: Extreme climate, warm inland from April
to mid-June falling to almost freezing at night in winter, between
November and February. Summers hot with monsoons between June
and September. Required clothing: Lightweight cottons and linens
in summer with warmer clothes in winter and on cooler evenings.
Waterproofing essential during monsoons.
Central India: Madhya Pradesh State escapes very worst
of hot season but monsoons are heavy between July and September.
Temperatures fall at night during winter.
Required clothing: Lightweights most of the year with warmer
clothes during evenings particularly in winter. Waterproofing
during monsoon rains.
Western India: November to February is most comfortable,
although evenings can be cold Summers can be extremely
hot with monsoon rainfall between mid-June and mid-September.
Required clothing: Lightweight cottons and linen most of the
year with warmer clothes for cooler winter and waterproofing
essential in monsoon.
Southwest: The most pleasant weather is from November
to March. Monsoon rains between late April and July. Summer
temperatures hot as high as Northern India although humidity
is extreme. Cooling breezes on coast . Inland, Mysore and Bijapur
have pleasant climates with relatively low rainfall.
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