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

Kota vs Ranchi weather compares a hot plains city with a milder plateau city. Kota lies on the Chambal river in south-east Rajasthan, where the pre-monsoon months are some of the hottest in India and the monsoon is short. Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, sits on the Chota Nagpur plateau, where summer is warm rather than scorching, the monsoon is long and generous, and storms are frequent. For students from Jharkhand heading to Kota’s coaching institutes, the difference shows up within weeks of arriving in spring.

This comparison uses the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Climatological Tables 1991-2020 for Kota (station 42452) and Ranchi (station 42701), 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 Ranchi

Month	Kota max / min	Ranchi max / min	Kota rain	Ranchi rain
January	23.2 / 11.2 C	24.0 / 9.4 C	5.7 mm	17.7 mm
February	27.1 / 14.3 C	27.0 / 12.7 C	8.2 mm	19.3 mm
March	33.3 / 19.8 C	31.5 / 16.9 C	2.7 mm	28.1 mm
April	39.3 / 25.7 C	35.8 / 21.3 C	8.4 mm	24.9 mm
May	42.6 / 30.0 C	36.9 / 23.4 C	9.7 mm	59.0 mm
June	40.3 / 29.5 C	33.9 / 23.7 C	80.3 mm	246.1 mm
July	34.3 / 27.0 C	29.9 / 22.8 C	296.7 mm	331.3 mm
August	32.2 / 25.8 C	29.6 / 22.6 C	269.6 mm	320.9 mm
September	33.9 / 25.5 C	29.8 / 22.0 C	108.7 mm	247.2 mm
October	34.6 / 22.3 C	29.1 / 18.8 C	18.9 mm	91.5 mm
November	30.1 / 16.9 C	27.1 / 13.8 C	3.8 mm	7.9 mm
December	25.7 / 12.6 C	24.3 / 9.9 C	3.6 mm	11.0 mm
Year	33.1 / 21.8 C	29.9 / 18.1 C	816.2 mm	1,404.8 mm

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

Summer: the biggest gap

From April to June Kota is in a different league. Its May mean maximum is 42.6 C against 36.9 C at Ranchi, and its June mean maximum 40.3 C against 33.9 C. The hottest day of an average year reaches about 45.8 C in Kota and 41.4 C in Ranchi.

The nights matter even more. Kota’s May nights average 30.0 C; Ranchi’s average 23.4 C. Ranchi also gets pre-monsoon showers and storms in May (59.0 mm of rain), which break the heat for a day or two at a time; Kota averages only 9.7 mm in May and its relief, when it comes, is often a dust storm. Kota’s air is also drier: evening relative humidity in May averages 15 percent against 39 percent at Ranchi. Dry heat dehydrates quickly, so steady drinking matters. See Kota heatwave, Kota weather in May and Kota weather in June.

Monsoon: Ranchi’s is longer and wetter

Ranchi’s monsoon begins in earnest in June, with 246.1 mm, and keeps going: 331.3 mm in July, 320.9 mm in August, 247.2 mm in September and 91.5 mm in October. Over the year Ranchi has about 73.7 rainy days.

Kota’s rainy season is shorter. June brings 80.3 mm, July and August 296.7 mm and 269.6 mm, September 108.7 mm, and October is usually dry. Kota has about 38.6 rainy days a year. Kota’s monsoon afternoons are also hotter, around 32 to 34 C against about 30 C in Ranchi, so its monsoon can feel muggier despite less rain. Read Kota monsoon, Kota humidity and Kota weather in July.

Winter: similar days, colder Ranchi nights

Winter is the season when the two cities come closest. January afternoons average 23.2 C at Kota and 24.0 C at Ranchi. Nights are a little colder at Ranchi, 9.4 C against 11.2 C in January, and the coldest night of an average year is about 5.4 C at Ranchi against 8.1 C at Kota.

Ranchi gets a little more winter rain and more fog days (about 8.0 a year against 2.9 at Kota), but Kota records more mornings with visibility of 1 km or less, about 8.3 against 4.7, mostly in December and January when mist settles over the Chambal. See Kota winter weather and Kota fog.

Storms, hail and clear skies

Ranchi is the stormier city. IMD records about 50.5 thunder days a year at Ranchi against 21.7 at Kota, and about 2.1 hail days against 0.4. Ranchi’s storm season starts in March and April, while Kota’s thunderstorms cluster from June to August. Dust storms are more of a Kota feature, about 3.0 days a year against 1.1 at Ranchi.

Kota has clearer skies, with about 186 cloud-free mornings a year at 08:30 IST against 156 at Ranchi, and 131 cloud-free evenings against 83. It is also breezier, with an annual mean wind of 6.3 km/h against 4.1 km/h. See Kota thunderstorms, Kota lightning safety and Kota cloud cover.

Humidity and comfort through the year

Ranchi’s air is moister than Kota’s in most months. The annual mean relative humidity is 66 percent at 08:30 IST and 55 percent at 17:30 at Ranchi, against 55 and 36 percent at Kota. The gap is widest before the monsoon: in April Ranchi averages 42 percent in the morning and 28 percent in the evening, while Kota drops to 26 and 13 percent. Dry eyes, cracked lips and quick dehydration are common complaints in Kota at that time of year.

The monsoon reverses the comfort picture. Because Kota is so much warmer in July and August, its wet bulb temperature, which combines heat and humidity, is higher: about 25.9 C at 17:30 IST in July against 24.3 C at Ranchi. So even with less rain, a Kota monsoon evening can feel heavier than a Ranchi one. Fans and good ventilation matter in both seasons.

Counting every day with at least 0.3 mm of rain, Ranchi has about 100 wet days a year against about 56 at Kota. Outside the monsoon, Kota can go weeks without rain, especially from October to May. See Kota humidity and Kota wet bulb temperature.

Advice for students moving from Ranchi to Kota

• Arriving in March or April: the heat builds fast. Get used to carrying water, using shade and walking early.
• May and June: the hardest stretch. Warm nights make good room ventilation or cooling important for sleep and study.
• July to September: carry an umbrella; expect heavy bursts rather than Ranchi’s steady, long rains.
• October to February: Kota’s most pleasant months, with clear skies; pack a sweater and jacket for December and January.

Read Kota weather for students, what to pack for Kota and Kota weather by month. Other comparisons for students from eastern India are Kota vs Patna weather and Kota vs Kolkata weather.

About the data

All figures are IMD 1991-2020 normals for the Kota and Ranchi observatories; a single year can differ a lot. 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 explains where to look.