Trying to define the weather in India is not an easy task. The huge subcontinent, which covers an area of ​​more than 3 million square kilometers, has been divided by the Indian Meteorological Service into seven different climate zones. If we try to refer to the weather in India in a simpler and clearer way for a full-fledged traveler, we will divide it into three zones, which are very different from each other in their nature, in their height, and in the weather that prevails in them.

The first region, northern India, is, as expected, the colder part, the high Himalayan peaks located there are covered with snow throughout a large part of the year. The second region, central India, is hotter and drier, and unlike the snowy north even contains deserts, while southern India, the third region located on the equator, enjoys a tropical appearance and weather.

 

 

The weather can be generally divided into summer and winter, parallel to what happens here in Israel – when it is summer here, it is also summer in India, and when it is winter here, it is also winter in India, but in India winter is not the rainy season; The monsoon season, aka the rainy season, comes precisely in the summer. There are areas in India that are more recommended to visit in the summer months and in others winter is the preferred time to visit.

Where is it recommended to visit in India according to the seasons?

We will refer to the weather in India according to a division into three seasons: winter, summer and monsoon:

• Winter in India – winter begins with the end of the monsoon period, in November, and lasts only four months, until February. Contrary to what happens in most of the world, in India winter is a period of quite comfortable temperatures throughout the day, and the cold comes mainly in the evening, but is usually not extreme. On the two ends of India, on the other hand, there may be more extreme situations, for example in the high peaks of northern India freezing and snowy weather prevails, while in southern India the weather maintains a pleasant warmth and the cold does not show its face. In most parts of India, winter is the best season to visit. In the south, as mentioned, the cold does not prevail and you can even enjoy spending time at the beach. Moreover, in the southern parts of India the summer and monsoon months are so hot and humid and in the center so hot and dry that winter is almost the only time when you can travel comfortably and in pleasant weather. The Himalayas, as mentioned, will be snowy at this time of the year, and are only suitable for snow lovers who are ready to deal with the intense cold.

• Summer in India – Summer in India begins in March, with the end of winter, and lasts only two months, until May, if we consider the monsoon season as a third and separate season. The warming begins precisely in northern India, already at the end of February, and gradually spreads to the rest of the subcontinent, with southern India maintaining a pleasant tropical balance relative to the rest of the country, while the temperatures in central India easily reach
  At 40 degrees Celsius and more, the south enjoys a slightly lighter heat load, staying around 35 degrees Celsius most of the summer. In the center the high heat comes with great dryness, while in the south of India the humidity is high. Despite the heavy heat, summer is a season when the beaches of South Goa are crowded with tourists, but it is also the perfect time to visit the northern and cooler states of India. The two most visited northern states are Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, also called Uttaranchal. In Himachal Pradesh you will find Dharamsala, Manali and the Parvati Valley, while in Uttarakhand or Uttaranchal you can visit Rishikesh, Haridwar and the sources of the Ganges. Keep in mind that the days in these countries will be quite hot in the summer months, but the evening may be quite cold even in this season. It is also worth considering that these areas are very busy in the summer months, both because of the tourists who come to visit and also because of Indian domestic tourism, especially in May, when the school summer vacation begins.

• Monsoon season – the monsoon season begins in June and lasts until October, when it can be divided into two different monsoons – the northeast monsoon and the southwest monsoon. the monsoon
  The southwest is the more significant of the two, and reaches the southwest coast of India in early June. Its arrival starts to be felt from the end of May, accompanied by high humidity, thunderstorms and sandstorms. In the middle of June, the monsoon already hits most of India and covers it with a lot of rain. The end of the monsoon will come at the end of October, first in northern India and then in the rest of the subcontinent. But the Indian monsoon season does not end here, and in the months of November-December the northeast monsoon arrives from the eastern coast of India. This is a shorter but intense monsoon, especially in the southern states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. For more information about South India. Traveling in India during the monsoon season has quite a few disadvantages but also some advantages. The monsoon season does not include consecutive months of rain, but rather heavy downpours that often arrive daily, as a complete surprise. It must be remembered that these are heavy rains in the middle of summer, so the sun is in the sky and even pleasant, but the humidity is also extremely high, and when the rain does fall, the combination may not be pleasant at all. Another disadvantage of the monsoon rains is that they often paralyze services and infrastructure, especially public transportation. On the other hand, a visit to cities like La, Ladakh or the Spiti Valley, which are located higher and are less exposed to flooding, can be charming in this season. Another part of India, which is not on the subcontinent itself but about a thousand kilometers to the south of it, is the Andaman Islands, a group of islands Tropics that offer visitors a variety of marine activities, rainforests and beautiful beaches. Like their southern neighbors, the weather in the Andaman Islands is relatively pleasant in most seasons of the year, especially in winter and summer. If you find yourself in the Andaman Islands and the coasts of the southern states of India during the monsoon season, you will probably get especially attractive prices due to the small number of tourists in this season.

So how to plan the trip in India?

All in all, as you can see, almost at any time of the year you can come to India and enjoy at least some parts of it. India like India is a place that requires quite a bit of patience sometimes, but it makes up for it with an abundance of charm. Even in the monsoon season, when the rain causes flooding and chaos and all your plans are canceled because there is no way to get from one place to another, the moment will come when the rain will stop and the sun will rise and it will be nice to go out on the street again.

How do you deal with the gaps, the surprises and the inability to completely predict the weather? First, plan the trip properly, read, check and compare, ask friends and find out and try to create an itinerary that takes all the data into account and that brings you to all the areas you want to see at the right times of the year. The more time and investment you devote to the preliminary research, the more successful and accurate your trip will be. It is of course important to leave room for changes and spontaneous decisions, but especially in a country like India, it is very useful to get to know as much as possible the place you are going to.

Second, prepare yourself for the unexpected, pack a raincoat, boots and enough warm clothes along with short clothes, again ask and find out how to drive especially during the monsoon and the transition periods between the seasons. We said earlier that you should get to know India as much as possible in advance, and that is indeed true, but no matter how much you study it in advance, nothing will prepare you for the real meeting. And that leads us to the last and most important advice of all: after all the preparations, questions and equipping, just let go and flow. When you get to India – you will understand.