Climate in Darjeeling (West Bengal)

In Darjeeling there is a subtropical mountain climate (according to the Köppen classification, Cwb), with a dry, relatively cold winter from December to February and a rainy season, due to the monsoon, from June to September.
The city, famous for its tea plantations and a summer refuge at the time of the British Empire, is located in north-east India, at 27 degrees north latitude, at 2,100 meters (7,000 feet) above sea level, on the first slopes of the eastern Himalayas. The home state is West Bengal, although we are not far from Sikkim, which is located a little further north.
Instead, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) as the crow flies to the west, on the border with Nepal, there is the Singalila National Park, which is home to a mountain peak, Sandakphu, 3,636 meters (11,929 ft) high, from which you can admire four of the top five highest peaks in the world, Everest (located 140 km or 85 mi to the north-west), Kangchenjunga (located 70 km or 45 mi to the north), Lhotse (located near Everest) and Makalu (located not far from Everest).



Fog can form all year round, but especially in the rainy season.
Winter, from December to February, is quite cold, furthermore, sometimes there can be colder periods than usual, and every now and then, it can even snow.
On colder nights, the temperature can drop to around 0 °C (32 °F) or slightly below, and more rarely, even below -5 °C (23 °F). The record is -7.2 °C (19 °F), set in January 1952, while in January 2006 the temperature dropped to -6.4 °C (20.5 °F).
However, snow in Darjeeling is rare, both because the winter is dry and because temperatures generally exceed freezing. To find snow with a greater probability you need to go above 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) above sea level, in Sandakphu, or on Lake Tsomgo, at 3,765 meters (12,057 ft), near Gangtok, in Sikkim.

In spring, from March to May, temperatures are mild, while rain and thunderstorms gradually become more frequent.

The summer, from June to September, is cool, cloudy and rainy, due to the monsoon. Sometimes, the rains can cause landslides and mudslides, which can isolate Darjeeling and make it unreachable. The sun is rarely seen, but when it comes out, it is very strong, given the altitude and proximity to the Tropic, in fact the ultraviolet ray index is very high.
Since it rains often and the sun rarely shines, it is almost never hot in Darjeeling. The records are around 28 °C (82.5 °F).

Autumn, in October and November, is mild and dry. The rains generally stop at the beginning of October.

Every now and then, Darjeeling can be affected by the remnants of tropical cyclones, generally those coming from the Bay of Bengal, and more rarely from the Arabian Sea. Since they have to penetrate a long distance inland, they arrive weakened, however, when they encounter the mountains, they can bring heavy rainfall (and snowfall in the high mountains).
Typically cyclones occur from mid-April to early December, with a greater probability in May-June, and a secondary peak in October.

Best Time

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The best time to visit Darjeeling is the dry season, from mid-October to May. From March to May, however, the rains gradually become more frequent and abundant, and in the nearby mountains, as well as in Sikkim, in May, and sometimes in April, they are already very abundant. In October, instead, the last rains linked to the monsoon can occur, especially in the first half of the month.
November is therefore the best month, as it is dry, and generally milder than the winter months. Those looking for snow at high altitudes, however, will prefer the period from late December to late February or early March, when the probability of seeing snow is higher.

Darjeeling - Climate data

The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 6.4 °C (43.5 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 16.7 °C (62.1 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 2380 millimeters (93.7 inches) per year: it is therefore abundant. It ranges from 3 mm (0.1 in) in the driest month (December) to 657 mm (25.9 in) in the wettest one (July). Here is the average precipitation.
There are on average around 1645 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.