Rajasthan Climate

One of India’s most arid regions, Rajasthan is known for its scorching summers. Barring the marginally cooler hills of the Aravali Ranges, temperatures in most parts of the state hit- and exceed- the 40 c mark during summer. Summers are also the time when hot dry desert winds sweep through the area, making conditions fairly uncomfortable. Summers are followed by the monsoon (between July and September), which is unusually scanty, except in the cool Aravali highlands and the semi-tropical south-western region of Rajasthan, which in comparison to the rest of the state, receives considerably more precipitation and is subsequently cooler and more humid.

Rajasthan’s winters are relatively mild, with temperatures hovering between 22’C and 8’C.

The climate in this desert state can be divided into four main seasons: the pre-monsoon (the hottest period, April to June), the monsoon (July to September, when the humidity peaks and the temperature drops somewhat), the post-monsoon (October to December and the winter (January to March). Average temperatures for the season are:

Summer (April-June)24’C-33.7’C Monsoon(July-September): 25’C-31’C. Winter (January-March) 21.3’C-32.2’C. Average Rainfall: About 100 mm annually in the Western desert areas: about 650 mm annually in the south-eastern parts of the state.

Rajasthan’s hot, arid summers make it virtually impossible to visit this state between April and June, when the blistering rays of the sun combine with low humidity to make travelling very uncomfortable. About the only places that are worth visiting during summers are the ones which either have plenty of water or lie in the cooler Aravali hills-such as Rajasthan’s sole hill station, Mount Abu, or the ‘City of Lake’, Udaipur.

The monsoon moths, from July to September, bring the desert to life and are a great time to tour Rajasthan. The best time, however, is winter-between October and April-when the weather’s at its best and there’s a string of colorful festival and fairs being held all across the state.