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

Kota vs Kolkata weather is a contrast between two very different climates. Kota lies inland in south-east Rajasthan, with a short, heavy monsoon and long dry months on either side. Kolkata sits on the Hooghly near the Bay of Bengal, in a humid delta climate where rain falls on more than twice as many days and the air is moist all year. For students moving from West Bengal to Kota’s coaching institutes, and for families visiting them, the change in weather is one of the first things to adjust to.

This comparison uses the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Climatological Tables 1991-2020 for Kota (station 42452) and Kolkata (Alipore) (station 42807), from IMD’s Data Service Portal. They are long-term averages, not a forecast. For current conditions in Kota, see Kota weather today.

Month by month: Kota vs Kolkata

Month	Kota max / min	Kolkata max / min	Kota rain	Kolkata rain
January	23.2 / 11.2 C	25.5 / 14.3 C	5.7 mm	15.4 mm
February	27.1 / 14.3 C	29.4 / 18.1 C	8.2 mm	24.6 mm
March	33.3 / 19.8 C	33.7 / 22.9 C	2.7 mm	36.8 mm
April	39.3 / 25.7 C	35.4 / 25.7 C	8.4 mm	55.0 mm
May	42.6 / 30.0 C	35.5 / 26.8 C	9.7 mm	118.5 mm
June	40.3 / 29.5 C	34.1 / 27.1 C	80.3 mm	276.7 mm
July	34.3 / 27.0 C	32.5 / 26.7 C	296.7 mm	371.6 mm
August	32.2 / 25.8 C	32.3 / 26.6 C	269.6 mm	372.1 mm
September	33.9 / 25.5 C	32.6 / 26.3 C	108.7 mm	325.0 mm
October	34.6 / 22.3 C	32.3 / 24.4 C	18.9 mm	179.6 mm
November	30.1 / 16.9 C	30.2 / 20.1 C	3.8 mm	32.6 mm
December	25.7 / 12.6 C	26.7 / 15.5 C	3.6 mm	5.6 mm
Year	33.1 / 21.8 C	31.7 / 22.9 C	816.2 mm	1,813.3 mm

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

Summer: Kota’s dry furnace vs Kolkata’s humid heat

The biggest temperature gap comes before the monsoon. In May Kota’s afternoons average 42.6 C against 35.5 C in Kolkata, a difference of 7.1 C, and in June 40.3 C against 34.1 C. Kota’s nights are hotter too: 30.0 C against 26.8 C in May. The hottest day of an average year reaches about 45.8 C at Kota and 39.8 C at Kolkata.

But the two heats feel different. Kolkata’s May evenings average 68 percent relative humidity; Kota’s average 15 percent. In Kolkata, sweat does not evaporate easily and the air feels heavy. In Kota, sweat dries almost instantly, which can hide how much water the body is losing. The wet bulb temperature, a measure that combines heat and humidity, is actually higher in Kolkata: about 27.3 C at 17:30 IST in May against 22.5 C at Kota. Newcomers from Kolkata often underestimate how fast they dehydrate in Kota. See Kota heatwave, Kota wet bulb temperature and Kota weather in May.

Monsoon: shorter and sharper in Kota

Kolkata’s rainy season is long. Storms begin in April and May (55.0 mm and 118.5 mm), the monsoon delivers more than 270 mm in each month from June to September, and October still brings 179.6 mm. Over the year Kolkata has about 84.2 rainy days.

Kota’s monsoon is compressed into July and August, which bring 296.7 mm and 269.6 mm, with June and September as shoulder months. Kota averages about 38.6 rainy days a year, and October is usually dry. Rain in Kota can still be intense: heavy spells cause local waterlogging and, in big years, gate openings at Kota Barrage. Read Kota monsoon, Kota rainfall and Kota barrage flood season.

Winter: cooler and drier in Kota

Kota’s winter is a step cooler than Kolkata’s. January afternoons average 23.2 C against 25.5 C, and nights 11.2 C against 14.3 C. The coldest night of an average year is about 8.1 C at Kota and 10.0 C at Kolkata. Kota’s winter air is much drier, about 40 percent relative humidity on January evenings against 62 percent.

Fog, interestingly, is more frequent in the Kolkata tables: about 11.8 fog days a year at Alipore against 2.9 at Kota. Kota does get misty mornings over the Chambal in December and January, and about 8.3 mornings a year with visibility of 1 km or less. See Kota winter weather, Kota fog and Kota weather in January.

Storms and skies

Kolkata is a far stormier city. IMD records about 83.0 thunder days a year at Kolkata against 21.7 at Kota, and about 6.0 squall days a year at Kolkata, mostly from March to May when pre-monsoon storms sweep in. Kota’s storms come in May and June as dust storms and thunderstorms, about 3.0 dust storm days a year.

Kota’s skies are clearer: about 186 mornings a year with no cloud at 08:30 IST, against 117 at Kolkata. October to May is a long run of mostly sunny days in Kota. See Kota thunderstorms, Kota dust storm and Kota cloud cover.

Humidity from morning to evening

IMD takes its main readings at 08:30 and 17:30 IST, and the gap between them shows how differently the two cities’ days unfold. In Kolkata the air stays moist all day: the annual mean relative humidity is 78 percent in the morning and 69 percent in the evening. In Kota it falls sharply through the day, from 55 percent to 36 percent. The contrast is widest in April, when Kolkata averages 73 percent in the morning and 61 percent in the evening against 26 and 13 percent at Kota.

Only in the monsoon do the numbers come close. In August Kota’s mornings average 80 percent and its evenings 69 percent, against 85 and 83 percent at Kolkata. That is when a Kolkata student will find Kota’s weather most familiar: warm, sticky and cloudy, with heavy showers.

Counting every day with at least 0.3 mm of rain, Kolkata has about 116 wet days a year and Kota about 56. Kota is also breezier, with an annual mean wind of 6.3 km/h against 3.6 km/h, while Kolkata records calm air at 17:30 IST on about 159 evenings a year against 40 at Kota. In practice, Kota’s evenings usually bring at least a light breeze, which helps on hot nights. See Kota humidity and Kota weather by time of day.

Moving from Kolkata to Kota: practical advice

• March to June: the hardest months for newcomers. Drink water steadily, use shade, and plan walks between home, coaching and hostel for early morning and evening.
• July and August: carry an umbrella; heavy bursts can flood roads for a few hours.
• October: warm and dry in Kota, while Kolkata is still wet; a good settling-in month.
• December to February: pack a sweater, a jacket and warm bedding; hostel rooms can feel cold at night.

Our Kota weather for students guide, what to pack for Kota and Kota weather by month cover each season in detail. Other comparisons for students from the east are Kota vs Patna weather and Kota vs Ranchi weather.

About the data

All figures are IMD 1991-2020 normals for the Kota and Kolkata (Alipore) observatories. A single year can be very different, and conditions vary across a large city. An IMD “rainy day” has 2.5 mm of rain or more. For forecasts and warnings use IMD and the Mausam app; our Kota weather forecast page shows where to look.