Kota vs Patna weather: what students from Bihar should expect

Kota vs Patna weather is a question many families in Bihar ask when a child heads to Kota for coaching. Both cities lie on the hot plains of north India and share the same broad seasons: a cool winter, a hot spring and early summer, and a rainy monsoon. But the details are different. Kota, in the Chambal valley of southeast Rajasthan, has a fiercer, drier summer. Patna, on the Ganga in the east, is more humid, wetter, foggier in winter and gets the monsoon earlier.

This comparison uses the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Climatological Tables 1991-2020 for Kota (station 42452) and Patna (station 42492). They are long-term averages, not a forecast.

Month by month: Kota vs Patna

Month	Kota max / min	Patna max / min	Kota rain	Patna rain
January	23.2 / 11.2 C	22.1 / 9.2 C	5.7 mm	10.2 mm
February	27.1 / 14.3 C	26.1 / 12.5 C	8.2 mm	12.6 mm
March	33.3 / 19.8 C	32.2 / 17.0 C	2.7 mm	8.9 mm
April	39.3 / 25.7 C	37.1 / 22.2 C	8.4 mm	11.9 mm
May	42.6 / 30.0 C	37.5 / 25.2 C	9.7 mm	48.4 mm
June	40.3 / 29.5 C	36.4 / 26.7 C	80.3 mm	162.2 mm
July	34.3 / 27.0 C	33.4 / 26.5 C	296.7 mm	289.1 mm
August	32.2 / 25.8 C	33.1 / 26.5 C	269.6 mm	266.6 mm
September	33.9 / 25.5 C	32.6 / 25.7 C	108.7 mm	209.7 mm
October	34.6 / 22.3 C	32.1 / 22.0 C	18.9 mm	47.9 mm
November	30.1 / 16.9 C	29.1 / 15.4 C	3.8 mm	5.3 mm
December	25.7 / 12.6 C	24.3 / 10.7 C	3.6 mm	4.7 mm
Year	33.1 / 21.8 C	31.3 / 20.0 C	816.2 mm	1077.6 mm

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

Summer: Kota’s heat is stronger and drier

The biggest difference comes in May and June. Kota’s May mean maximum is 42.6 C, about 5 degrees above Patna’s 37.5 C, and the hottest day of an average May reaches about 46.1 C at Kota against 42.9 C at Patna. Kota’s nights are hotter too: a May mean minimum of 30.0 C against 25.2 C.

The air is very different. At 17:30 IST in May, relative humidity averages 15 percent at Kota and 43 percent at Patna. Patna’s pre-monsoon season has more thunderstorms and showers, 48.4 mm of rain in May against 9.7 mm at Kota. So a student from Patna arriving in Kota in April or May meets hotter, drier, dustier air with fewer storms to break the heat. Dry heat dehydrates quickly; you may not feel sweaty, but you are losing water. Read Kota heatwave, Kota weather in May and Kota wind for the hot westerly loo.

Monsoon: Patna starts earlier and lasts longer

The monsoon reaches eastern India before Rajasthan, so June is already a wet month in Patna (162.2 mm) while Kota is still mostly in pre-monsoon heat (80.3 mm). In July and August the two cities get similar totals, close to 270 to 300 mm a month. Patna then stays wet longer: 209.7 mm in September and 47.9 mm in October, against 108.7 mm and 18.9 mm at Kota. Over a year Patna records about 51.6 rainy days and Kota about 38.6.

Humidity during the monsoon is high in both cities, but Patna is stickier. The 17:30 IST wet bulb temperature in July averages 27.5 C at Patna and 25.9 C at Kota; our Kota wet bulb temperature guide explains why that matters. See also Kota monsoon and Kota humidity.

Post-monsoon and winter

October in Kota is drier and warmer by day than in Patna, 34.6 C against 32.1 C, as Rajasthan’s skies clear faster. In winter both cities are pleasant by day. Patna’s nights are about 2 degrees colder, with a January mean minimum of 9.2 C against 11.2 C at Kota, and the coldest night of an average January is about 5.0 C at Patna and 7.4 C at Kota.

Fog is far more common in Patna: about 33 fog days a year, mostly in December and January, against about 3 at Kota. Many students find Kota’s winter mornings brighter and drier than at home. See Kota winter weather and Kota fog.

Tips for students moving from Bihar

• Arrival in April to June: the first weeks are the hardest. Carry a water bottle to every class, use oral rehydration salts on very hot days, and avoid long walks between 11 am and 5 pm.
• Room setup: check the fan or cooler works before May. A desert cooler works well in Kota’s dry pre-monsoon heat but much less in humid monsoon weather.
• Clothing: loose cotton, a cap or scarf for the sun, and one or two warm layers for December and January mornings.
• Trips home: in December and January, fog in the Ganga plains can delay trains for hours; check running status on NTES. In the monsoon, watch IMD warnings for both states.

Our Kota weather for students guide covers hostel life through the year, and what to pack for Kota has a full list.

Calm air, fog and light rain

Two rows in IMD’s tables explain a lot about how winter feels in each city. Patna is much calmer: it records calm air on about 128 mornings and 141 evenings a year, against about 102 mornings and only 40 evenings at Kota. Still air lets moisture, smoke and dust settle near the ground, which is one reason Patna’s winters are hazier.

The visibility counts confirm it. Morning visibility falls below 1 km on about 37.5 days a year at Patna, with about 17 in January and 16 in December, against about 8.3 at Kota. Patna also has more days with light rain, about 74.3 days a year with at least 0.3 mm against 55.6 at Kota, because its monsoon lasts longer. Dust storms are rarer at Patna, about 1.4 days a year against 3.0 at Kota, where hot westerly winds in May and June lift dust from dry ground. See Kota fog and Kota dust storm.

Summary: which is more comfortable?

• April to June: Patna is easier on the thermometer, though more humid; Kota’s heat is harsher.
• July to September: similar, with Patna more humid and wetter late in the season.
• October to March: both are pleasant; Kota is drier and less foggy.

For other comparisons, see Kota vs Delhi weather and Kota vs Lucknow weather.

More comparisons: Kota vs Hyderabad weather, Kota vs Mumbai weather and Kota vs Sikar weather. Patna is far to the east, so its sun rises much earlier on the clock; Kota’s times are in Kota sunrise and sunset times.