Best time to visit Kota, month by month

The best time to visit Kota is October to March. Days are warm and dry, evenings are cool, the skies are clear and every sight, from the Garh palace and Kishore Sagar to the Chambal riverfront and the Garadia Mahadev gorge, is at its most enjoyable. Summer is for the heat-tolerant, and the monsoon rewards travellers who like green landscapes and do not mind getting wet. This guide scores every month for comfort using the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) official climate normals for Kota, and gives practical advice for each season.

Kota weather for travellers, month by month

Temperatures and rainfall are IMD 1991-2020 normals for Kota Airport. The comfort verdict is ours, for sightseeing on foot.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Rain	Verdict
January	23 C	11 C	6 mm	Excellent; cool mornings
February	27 C	14 C	8 mm	Excellent
March	33 C	20 C	3 mm	Good; warming fast late in the month
April	39 C	26 C	8 mm	Hard; early starts only
May	43 C	30 C	10 mm	Very hard; peak heat
June	40 C	30 C	80 mm	Hard; heat, then the first rains
July	34 C	27 C	297 mm	Mixed; wettest month
August	32 C	26 C	270 mm	Mixed; green and wet
September	34 C	26 C	109 mm	Fair; rains easing, humid
October	35 C	22 C	19 mm	Good; dry, warm afternoons
November	30 C	17 C	4 mm	Excellent
December	26 C	13 C	4 mm	Excellent; cool mornings

The full table with records and rainy days is in Kota weather by month.

Winter (November to February): the sweet spot

This is when Kota is at its best. Afternoons in the mid-20s to around 30 C, cool mornings that occasionally dip toward single figures in December and January, almost no rain and long, clear days. Every outdoor sight is a pleasure: the riverfront in the evening, the palaces and museums by day, sunrise over the Chambal gorge.

Things to know:

• Mornings are cold in December and January. Bring a jacket or shawl for early starts and late evenings.
• Fog can slow highways and delay trains from the north on some mornings, especially in late December and January. See Kota winter weather.
• Busy periods: winter weddings and holidays fill hotels on some dates. Book ahead for weekends.

October and March: the shoulder months

October starts warm, with afternoons around 34 C, but the monsoon has gone and the air dries out quickly. Evenings are pleasant, and the Kota Dussehra Mela runs through this period; our Dussehra Mela 2026 weather guide covers each evening.

March is pleasant early in the month and hot by the end, with the first days near 40 C. Holi usually falls in March. Plan outdoor sightseeing for mornings and evenings.

Summer (April to June): hot and quiet

Temperatures climb fast, regularly reaching 42 to 45 C in May, and the station record is 48.5 C. The heat is very dry until June, when humidity rises ahead of the monsoon. If you visit:

• Go out at dawn, rest through the afternoon and come back out after 5 pm.
• Choose shaded or indoor sights for late morning: the Garh palace museum, temples with covered halls.
• Save the riverfront for after dark.
• Check IMD heatwave warnings daily; our Kota heatwave guide explains what they mean.

The reward is quiet sights and lower hotel demand. The trade-off is real discomfort, so it is not ideal for families with small children or elderly travellers.

Monsoon (July to September): green and dramatic

The rains transform the landscape. The Chambal swells, waterfalls in the gorges and hills around Kota come alive, and the Hadoti region turns green. Showers usually come in heavy bursts with dry breaks between them, rather than all-day drizzle.

Things to know:

• Humidity is high and afternoons are still in the low to mid 30s.
• Some activities pause: river boat trips may stop at high water, and some gorge paths and steps get slippery.
• Barrage releases in August and September can be spectacular to watch from safe spots, but stay away from the riverbanks. See Kota Barrage flood season.
• Keep plans flexible and check the forecast each morning.

Read more in our Kota monsoon guide.

Best time for specific interests

• Sightseeing and photography: November to February for clear light; August and September for green landscapes and dramatic skies.
• Festivals: the Kota Dussehra Mela in October to early November is the big one. See Kota tourist season and festivals.
• Birdwatching on the Chambal: winter mornings, when migratory birds are present and the air is cool.
• Fewer crowds and lower prices: the monsoon and the hot season.
• Students and parents visiting coaching institutes: any month works, but summer visits need careful planning around the heat, and the monsoon around rain.

How to plan your dates

1. Use the month table above to pick a season that suits you.
2. Check whether a big event, such as the Dussehra Mela, will fill hotels on your dates.
3. In the last week before you travel, check the IMD forecast and any warnings for Kota district; see Kota weather forecast.
4. Pack for the season using our what to pack for Kota list.

Where to go once you are there

Our Kota sightseeing by season guide matches the main sights to the weather, and Kota itinerary by weather has one, two and three-day plans timed around the heat. For getting to Kota by train, road or air, and how weather affects each, see the Kota travel weather guide.

A note on averages

Every number on this page is a long-term average. Real weather varies: a February can be unusually warm, a July unusually dry, an October unusually wet. Averages tell you what to expect and what to pack; the forecast tells you what will happen. Use both.

Month guides for the cool season

If you have already narrowed your trip to the cool season, our month guides go into more detail on what to expect and what to pack: Kota weather in November, Kota weather in December and Kota weather in January. Combining Kota with Jaipur? The seasons line up almost exactly, but Jaipur’s winter mornings are a few degrees colder; see Kota vs Jaipur weather.