Kota weather in April: when summer really begins

Kota weather in April is when summer stops being a forecast and becomes daily life. Afternoons near or above 40 C become routine, the air is the driest of the year, hot westerly winds pick up, and the first dust storms and thunderstorms of the season appear. Mornings and evenings are still usable, so the month is manageable if you plan your day around the heat. This guide uses the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) 1991-2020 climatological tables for the Kota Airport observatory to describe a normal April, and gives practical advice for residents, students and visitors.

Normals are long-term averages, not a forecast. For the next few days, see where to get the live Kota weather forecast.

April at a glance: IMD climate tables

All figures are from IMD’s Climatological Tables 1991-2020 for station Kota (42452), on IMD’s Data Service Portal.

Measure (Kota Airport)	March	April	May
Mean daily maximum	33.3 C	39.3 C	42.6 C
Mean daily minimum	19.8 C	25.7 C	30.0 C
Hottest day of the month (mean)	39.5 C	43.7 C	46.1 C
Coolest night of the month (mean)	14.4 C	20.1 C	24.0 C
Rainfall	2.7 mm	8.4 mm	9.7 mm
Rainy days (2.5 mm or more)	0.6	0.8	1.0
Days with thunder	0.7	1.0	1.6
Days with dust storm	0.1	0.6	0.9
Relative humidity, 08:30 / 17:30 IST	38% / 19%	26% / 13%	31% / 15%
Mean wind speed	5.1 km/h	6.5 km/h	9.8 km/h

The temperature at the 17:30 IST observation averages 37.7 C in April, which tells you that even early evening is hot. The real relief comes only after sunset.

How April builds

April warms quickly. The mean maximum is about 6 C higher than in March, and the month itself starts warm and ends hot:

• Early April: afternoons in the high thirties, nights in the low twenties. Still bearable outdoors in the morning and evening.
• Mid-April: most afternoons near 40 C. Indoor cooling becomes a necessity.
• Late April: the hottest days of the month, with the warmest afternoon of an average April at about 43.7 C. Nights stay warm, often in the high twenties.

The driest air of the year

April has the lowest relative humidity of any month at Kota Airport: 26 percent at 08:30 IST and 13 percent at 17:30 IST. Dry air makes heat feel less oppressive than humid heat, but it also makes dehydration easy to miss. Signs to watch for are headache, dizziness, dark urine and tiredness. Keep water with you and drink regularly, with a little salt and sugar (oral rehydration salts, lemon water, buttermilk) on long hot days. Our Kota humidity guide compares dry and humid heat.

Hot winds, dust and thunder

Winds from the west and north-west dominate in April. IMD’s tables show that at the 17:30 IST observation the wind comes from the north-west on about 21 percent of days and from the west on about 16 percent, and the average wind speed rises to 6.5 km/h. These are the hot, dry winds people call loo, strongest in the afternoon.

April is also when dust storms return: 0.6 dust storm days in an average April at Kota Airport, rising in May and June. Thunder days increase to about one a month. A dust storm or thunderstorm can arrive in the afternoon or evening with a sudden gust, a wall of dust and sometimes a brief shower. Our guides to Kota dust storms and Kota lightning safety explain what to do.

Heatwave warnings

Heatwaves are possible from April, especially late in the month. IMD declares a heatwave on the basis of how high the maximum is and how far it is above normal, and issues district warnings in colour codes. When a warning is out for Kota:

• Stay indoors from roughly 12 to 4 pm if you can.
• Wear light, loose cotton and cover your head outdoors.
• Never leave children or pets in a parked vehicle.
• Check on elderly neighbours and anyone living alone.

Our Kota heatwave guide explains the criteria and the warning colours in detail. Alerts are also published on the NDMA Sachet portal.

For students and residents

April is exam and admission season for many students in Kota’s coaching institutes and colleges. Practical steps that help:

• Service coolers and air conditioners in early April, before the rush.
• Keep a water bottle at your desk, and refill it.
• Plan travel between hostel and classes for the morning or evening where you have a choice.
• Use curtains or reflective film on west-facing windows to cut afternoon heat.

See Kota weather for students for a full checklist.

Visiting Kota in April

If you visit in April, adapt rather than cancel. Start sightseeing at dawn, finish outdoor visits by about 10 or 11 am, spend the afternoon indoors in museums or air-conditioned places, and go out again after sunset for the riverfront or markets. Carry water, a hat and sunglasses everywhere. Compare seasons in best time to visit Kota.

What to wear and pack

• Loose, light cotton clothing in pale colours; long sleeves protect against sun.
• A wide hat or cap, sunglasses and high-SPF sunscreen.
• A refillable water bottle and oral rehydration salts.
• A scarf or mask for dusty, windy afternoons.

April mornings, afternoons and skies

By April even the morning is warm: IMD’s mean at 08:30 IST is 30.5 C, rising to 37.7 C at 17:30 IST, with afternoon humidity of just 13 percent, the driest air of the year. The gap between the dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures reaches about 18 degrees in the evening, which is why April heat dehydrates you quickly without making you feel sweaty. Skies are clear in the morning (about 19 cloudless mornings) but afternoon cloud and haze build, with only about 12 cloudless evenings. See Kota wet bulb temperature, Kota cloud cover and Kota weather by time of day. Families from Madhya Pradesh will find April days similar to Indore’s but nights about 4 degrees warmer; see Kota vs Indore weather.

Related guides

• Kota weather in March for the month before
• Kota weather in May for the month after
• Kota wind guide for wind speed and direction by month
• Kota weather by month