India Travel Guide

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Climate

India has three major seasons: winter, summer and the monsoon.

The winter months (November to March) are pleasant in most of India, with bright sunny days and cool nights.

In the northern plains however, the minimum temperature at times drops steeply.

The Himalayas and its foothills receive snowfall, sometimes till early April.

In most parts of western, southern and eastern India, December and January are pleasantly cool but never really chilly.

During the summer months (April-August), northern India is fairly hot, with daytime temperatures around 45 °C.

Most hill resorts, like Shimla, Mussourie and Nainital - the summer capitals during the days of the colonial Raj - are busy with Indian tourists beating the heat of their hometowns.

The southwest monsoon usually hits the southern tip of India in early June, and tracks north over the next two months.

Most of India receives its major share of rainfall between June and September, the south-eastern areas, in addition, get the north-east monsoon rains between mid-October and the end of December.