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Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours

In Kanyakumari there is a
tropical climate (according to the Köppen classification, tropical savannah climate, Aw), hot all year round, with rainfall not abundant, except from October to December, and to a lesser extent in May and June.
The city (also called Kanniyakumari, Kanniyakumar, Kanniakumari, and formerly known as Cape Comorin) is located in the extreme south of India, at 8 degrees north latitude, at the tip of the triangle, where the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean meet (according to some, three seas meet at this point, also considering the Bay of Bengal).
We are in the state of
Tamil Nadu, near the border with Kerala.
We are also in an area on the border between two different climate zones. To the north-west, the Malabar coast, to the west of the Western Ghats, is very rainy during the summer monsoon, from June to September, while on the coast facing south-east, starting from Kanyakumari, the climate is
semi-arid, because the summer monsoon has few effects, while the retreating one, from October to December, has greater effects, but is partly limited by the nearby island of Sri Lanka.
As mentioned,
temperatures are high all year round. It is never cold at night, just think that the coldest record is 19 °C (66 °F). In fact, we are near the Equator.
The sun passes the zenith on April 10th and September 1st.
During the day it can get very hot all year round, in fact the records exceed 34 °C (93 °F) in all months, but especially from March to May, i.e. the period preceding the south-west monsoon, when the records are of 36/37 °C (97/99 °F).
March and April are also the months in which the wind is weakest, and therefore the heat is felt more.
Here are the average temperatures.
Kanyakumari - Average temperatures (1991-2020) |
Month | Min | Max | Mean |
---|
January | 23.5 | 31.3 | 27.4 |
---|
February | 24 | 32.1 | 28 |
---|
March | 25.2 | 32.7 | 29 |
---|
April | 26.1 | 33.1 | 29.6 |
---|
May | 26.1 | 32.5 | 29.3 |
---|
June | 24.6 | 30.8 | 27.7 |
---|
July | 24.2 | 30.6 | 27.4 |
---|
August | 24.2 | 30.7 | 27.4 |
---|
September | 24.3 | 30.7 | 27.5 |
---|
October | 24.4 | 30.8 | 27.6 |
---|
November | 24.1 | 30.6 | 27.4 |
---|
December | 23.8 | 30.6 | 27.2 |
---|
Year | 24.5 | 31.4 | 27.9 |
---|
The
southwest monsoon arrives in late May, but brings little rain to this area. However, during some years, in May and June it can rain a lot. From July to September, the period when the monsoon works in full swing in much of India, the effects in this area are poor, however, the sun does not shine as often as in winter, and the sea can be rough.
From October to December, on the other hand, the
northeast monsoon or retreating monsoon brings heavier rains, which can sometimes cause floods. In December, the rains are rarer than in the previous two months, however, they can sometimes be abundant and cause floods also in this month, as happened in December 2023.
Here is the average rainfall.
Kanyakumari - Average precipitationMonth | Days |
---|
January | 15 | 1 |
---|
February | 8 | 1 |
---|
March | 10 | 1 |
---|
April | 47 | 3 |
---|
May | 75 | 3 |
---|
June | 74 | 6 |
---|
July | 44 | 4 |
---|
August | 37 | 3 |
---|
September | 60 | 4 |
---|
October | 154 | 8 |
---|
November | 192 | 9 |
---|
December | 63 | 4 |
---|
Year | 780 | 46 |
---|
For swimming, the sea is warm all year round.
Kanyakumari - Sea temperatureMonth |
---|
January | 28 |
---|
February | 28 |
---|
March | 29 |
---|
April | 30 |
---|
May | 29.5 |
---|
June | 28.5 |
---|
July | 27.5 |
---|
August | 27 |
---|
September | 27.5 |
---|
October | 28.5 |
---|
November | 28.5"> |
---|
December | 28 |
---|
Year | 28.4 |
---|
From time to time, Kanyakumari can be affected by
tropical cyclones. Typically, cyclones in India occur from April to December, although the far south is normally affected only in November and December. For example, the city was hit by Cyclone Ockhi between late November and early December 2017.
However, since the sea is warm all year round, in theory they can also form from January to March, perhaps in a light form (that is, of tropical storms).
Best Time
The best time to visit Kanyakumari is from January to April, being the dry season. Since it is very hot in March and April, the months of January and February may be preferred.
If you want, you can also go from July to September, when the rest of India is hit by the monsoon, which here and on the south-eastern coast has limited effects.