Kota vs Agra weather: a month-by-month comparison

Kota vs Agra weather looks like a close match on paper: both are inland plains cities of north-central India, both bake in May and both are cool and dry in winter. Look closer and the differences matter for anyone moving between them. Agra, on the Yamuna in western Uttar Pradesh, has much colder winter nights, far more fog and more humid air, while Kota, on the Chambal in south-east Rajasthan, has warmer nights in every month and a wetter monsoon. Families from Agra visiting students in Kota, and travellers adding Kota to a Taj Mahal trip, will both notice it.

This comparison uses the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Climatological Tables 1991-2020 for Kota (station 42452) and Agra (Taj) (station 42259), from IMD’s Data Service Portal. They are 30-year averages, not a forecast. For current conditions in Kota, see Kota weather today.

Month by month: Kota vs Agra

Month	Kota max / min	Agra max / min	Kota rain	Agra rain
January	23.2 / 11.2 C	22.2 / 7.4 C	5.7 mm	12.5 mm
February	27.1 / 14.3 C	26.2 / 10.4 C	8.2 mm	10.8 mm
March	33.3 / 19.8 C	32.1 / 14.2 C	2.7 mm	8.3 mm
April	39.3 / 25.7 C	38.4 / 20.0 C	8.4 mm	8.5 mm
May	42.6 / 30.0 C	41.9 / 24.4 C	9.7 mm	21.4 mm
June	40.3 / 29.5 C	41.1 / 25.5 C	80.3 mm	46.4 mm
July	34.3 / 27.0 C	36.0 / 24.7 C	296.7 mm	245.8 mm
August	32.2 / 25.8 C	33.1 / 23.9 C	269.6 mm	198.6 mm
September	33.9 / 25.5 C	34.2 / 23.5 C	108.7 mm	110.8 mm
October	34.6 / 22.3 C	34.7 / 18.7 C	18.9 mm	24.7 mm
November	30.1 / 16.9 C	29.2 / 13.2 C	3.8 mm	2.5 mm
December	25.7 / 12.6 C	23.7 / 8.1 C	3.6 mm	3.2 mm
Year	33.1 / 21.8 C	32.7 / 17.9 C	816.2 mm	693.6 mm

Max and min are IMD’s mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures; rain is the mean monthly total.

The big difference: Agra’s colder nights

The most striking line in the table is the minimum temperature. Agra’s nights are colder than Kota’s in every single month, by about 2 C in the monsoon and by 5.6 to 5.7 C in March, April and May. Over the year the mean minimum is 17.9 C at Agra against 21.8 C at Kota. Daytime highs, by contrast, are within about one degree for most of the year.

IMD’s Agra (Taj) observatory is a single site, and like any station its readings reflect its own surroundings, so the exact gap will differ across the city. Even so, a visitor arriving in Agra from Kota should expect noticeably cooler early mornings and late evenings in almost any month.

Winter: fog and chill in Agra, milder in Kota

Winter is where the two cities feel most different. January nights average 7.4 C at Agra against 11.2 C at Kota, and the coldest night of an average year is about 4.0 C at Agra against 8.1 C at Kota. Afternoons are similar, 22.2 C and 23.2 C.

Fog is the bigger travel issue. IMD’s tables count about 11.3 fog days a year at Agra, with 5.4 in January and 4.5 in December, against 2.9 a year at Kota. Mornings with visibility of 1 km or less occur on about 10.1 days a year at Agra and 8.3 at Kota, mostly in December and January. Agra’s air is also far moister in winter: relative humidity at 08:30 IST averages 85 percent in January against 67 percent at Kota. For Kota’s winter, read Kota winter weather, Kota fog and Kota weather in January.

Summer: same daytime heat, warmer nights in Kota

From April to June both cities are very hot. The May mean maximum is 42.6 C at Kota and 41.9 C at Agra, and the hottest day of an average May reaches about 46.1 C at both stations. In June Agra’s afternoons edge ahead, 41.1 C against 40.3 C, when Kota already gets more rain (80.3 mm against 46.4 mm).

The nights tell a different story. Kota’s May mean minimum is 30.0 C, while Agra’s is 24.4 C. That gap is why Kota’s pre-monsoon weeks feel so draining, with little cooling before the next day starts. Kota’s air is also much drier before the monsoon: April evenings average 13 percent relative humidity at Kota against 40 percent at Agra. See Kota heatwave and Kota weather in May.

Monsoon: Kota wetter, Agra hotter

Kota’s monsoon delivers 296.7 mm in July and 269.6 mm in August, against 245.8 mm and 198.6 mm at Agra. Yet the number of rainy days is almost the same, about 11.6 in July at Kota and 10.3 at Agra, so Kota’s rain falls in heavier spells. September is level, 108.7 mm against 110.8 mm.

With slightly less rain, Agra’s July afternoons are warmer, 36.0 C against 34.3 C, and its evening air is more humid. Thunder is more frequent at Kota, about 21.7 thunder days a year against 13.6 at Agra. Kota’s heavier rain also feeds the Chambal and the barrage releases that are a feature of its wettest weeks; read Kota monsoon and Kota barrage flood season.

Humidity, sky and storms

Agra’s air is more humid at both observation times in every month of the table. The annual mean relative humidity is 76 percent at 08:30 IST and 57 percent at 17:30 at Agra, against 55 and 36 percent at Kota. Agra also has more cloud-free mornings, about 237 days a year with no cloud at 08:30 IST against 186 at Kota.

Dust storms are rare in both: about 3.0 days a year at Kota and 1.0 at Agra, mostly in May and June. Hail is unusual at both stations. IMD’s Agra (Taj) table does not report wind speed, so wind is not compared here; Kota’s annual mean is 6.3 km/h and its windiest month is June (see Kota wind). For storms in Kota, see Kota thunderstorms and Kota dust storm.

Planning a trip that includes Kota and Agra

• October and November: comfortable in both. Agra’s nights cool faster; pack a light layer from mid-November.
• December and January: pleasant afternoons, cold mornings. Expect Agra’s fog to delay early trains and road travel on some days; Kota is milder and clearer.
• February and March: a good window for both, with less fog and warm days.
• April to June: very hot in both; Kota’s nights are much worse. Plan monument visits at opening time and in the evening, using Kota sunrise and sunset times.
• July to September: wet in both, with heavier bursts at Kota. Check rail and road conditions after heavy rain.

For the Kota leg, use best time to visit Kota, what to pack for Kota and the Kota travel weather guide. Other comparisons with cities north of Kota include Kota vs Delhi weather, Kota vs Lucknow weather and Kota vs Gwalior weather.

How to read these numbers

IMD normals are averages over 1991-2020 at one observatory in each city. A single year can be much hotter, colder or wetter, and conditions across a large city vary. “Rainy day” in IMD tables means a day with 2.5 mm of rain or more. For the next few days, always use IMD’s forecast and district warnings; our Kota weather forecast page explains where to find them.