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INDIA
When
to Go
India's weather is extremely varied, something you must take into
account when planning your trip. The most influential feature of
the subcontinent's climate is the wet season, or monsoon.
This breaks on the Keralan coast at the end of May, working its
way northeast across the country over the following month and a
half. While it lasts, regular and prolonged downpours are interspersed
with bursts of hot sunshine, and the pervasive humidity can be intense.
At the height of the monsoon - especially in the jungle regions
of the northwest and the low-lying delta lands of Bengal - flooding
can severely disrupt communications, causing widespread destruction.
In the Himalayan foothills, landslides are common, and entire valley
systems can be cut off for weeks.
By September, the monsoon has largely receded from the north, but
it takes another couple of months before the clouds disappear altogether
from the far south. The east coast of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu,
and the south of Kerala, get a second drenching between October
and December, when the "northwest" or "retreating"
monsoon sweeps in from the Bay of Bengal. By December, however,
most of the subcontinent enjoys clear skies and relatively cool
temperatures.
Mid-winter sees the most marked contrasts between the climates of
north and south India. While Delhi, for example, may be ravaged
by chill winds blowing off the snowfields of the Himalayas, the
Tamil plains and coastal Kerala, more than 1000km south, still stew
under fierce post-monsoon sunshine. As spring gathers pace, the
centre of the subcontinent starts to heat up again, and by late
March thermometers nudge 33°C across most of the Gangetic Plains
and Deccan plateau. Temperatures peak in May and early June, when
anyone who can retreats to the hill stations. Above the baking subcontinental
land mass, hot air builds up and sucks in humidity from the southwest,
causing the onset of the monsoon in late June, and bringing relief
to millions of overheated Indians.
The best time to visit most of the country, therefore, is during
the cool, dry season, between November and March. Delhi, Agra, Varanasi
and the northern states, including Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,
are ideal at this time, and temperatures in Goa and central India
remain comfortable. The heat of the south is never less than intense
but it becomes stifling in May and June, so aim to be in Tamil Nadu
and Kerala between January and March. From this time onwards, the
Himalayas grow more accessible, and the trekking season reaches
its peak in August and September while the rest of the subcontinent
is being soaked by the rains. |
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