Climate of Rajasthan

Climatically, Rajasthan is the driest part of India. The Aravalli Mountains stretching diagonally across the State from the South-West to North-East separate the desert and semi-desert areas to the West from the sub-humid areas in the East. Population densities are higher in the eastern part of the State and nineteen of the thirty two districts of the State fall in the non-desert area to the east of the Aravallis.

The climate of Rajasthan can be divided into four seasons: Pre-Monsoon, Monsoon, Post-Monsoon and Winter.

Pre-Monsoon, which extends from April to June, is the hottest season, with temperatures ranging from 30C to 40C. In western Rajasthan the temperature may rise to 45C, particularly in May and June. At this time, Rajasthan's only hill station, Mt Abu registers the lowest temperatures. In the desert regions, the temperature drops in night. Prevailing winds are from the west and sometimes carry dust storms.

The second season Monsoon extends from July to September, temperature drops but humidity increases and even there is slight drop in the temperature (30C to 33C). We have about 90% of our rains in this period.

The Post-Monsoon period is from October to December. The average maximum temperature is 33C to 38C, and the minimum is between 18C and 20C.

The fourth season is the Winter or Cold Season, from January to March. There is a marked variation in maximum and minimum temperatures and regional variations across the state. January is the coolest month of the year. And temperature may drop to 3C to 5 C in some regions of Rajasthan, like Shekhawati. There is slight precipitation in the north and north-eastern region of the state, and light winds, predominantly from the north and north-east. At this time, relative humidity ranges from 50% to 60% in the morning, and 25% to 35% in the afternoon.

Given its varied topography, the climate of Rajasthan greatly varies throughout the state. In the west, Rajasthan is relatively dry and infertile; this area includes some of the Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert. In the southwestern part of the state, the land is wetter, hilly and more fertile. The climate varies throughout Rajasthan. The best time to travel to Rajasthan is during the winter, or cold season, which extends from October to March.