Kota weather in January: the coldest month explained

Kota weather in January is the coldest the city gets all year, yet it is still a sunny, comfortable month for most of the day. Mornings are genuinely chilly, nights call for a blanket and a warm layer, and a few days each winter bring cold waves or fog. By early afternoon, though, the sun usually wins and the city feels mild. This guide uses the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) 1991-2020 normals for Kota Airport to describe a normal January, and explains how to handle its cold mornings, fog and travel delays.

Normals are averages, not a forecast. For the coming days, see where to get the live Kota weather forecast.

January at a glance: IMD normals

Measure (Kota Airport)	January	December	February
Mean daily maximum	23.2 C	25.7 C	27.1 C
Mean daily minimum	11.2 C	12.6 C	14.3 C
Daily mean	17.3 C	18.7 C	20.8 C
Rainfall	5.7 mm	3.6 mm	8.2 mm
Rainy days (2.5 mm or more)	0.7	0.3	0.7
Evening relative humidity (17:30 IST)	40%	37%	30%
Record high	33.9 C	33.9 C	38.3 C
Record low	1.7 C	2.6 C	2.2 C

Source: IMD climatological normals 1991-2020 for Kota Airport (extremes 1961-2020), daily means from the Tokyo Climate Center, as reproduced in the Kota climate table on Wikipedia.

The record low of 1.7 C is a once-in-decades extreme, not a normal night. The useful number for planning is the mean minimum of 11.2 C, and the knowledge that a cold spell can push mornings several degrees below it for a few days.

A day in a Kota January

A typical clear January day goes like this. Dawn is cold, often around 10 C or a little below, sometimes with mist or fog near the Chambal. By 10 am the sun has warmed things noticeably. The early afternoon is the best part of the day, mild and bright at around 23 C. Once the sun drops, the temperature falls quickly, and by late evening a jacket is needed again.

This daily swing of about 12 C is the reason locals dress in layers, and why rooms in older buildings, which hold the night’s cold, can feel colder at noon than the street outside.

Cold waves

Cold waves usually follow the passage of a western disturbance: a day or two of cloud, sometimes a little rain, then clear skies and cold northerly winds. Mornings then drop well below normal for several days. IMD declares a cold wave for a district on the basis of how low the minimum falls and how far it is below normal; the criteria are explained in our Kota winter weather guide.

During a cold wave:

• Keep infants, the elderly and anyone unwell warm, especially at night.
• Do not burn charcoal, wood or kerosene in a closed room; carbon monoxide can kill without warning.
• Wear several layers rather than one thick garment, and cover the head and feet.
• Check official alerts from IMD and the NDMA Sachet portal; see Kota weather warnings.

Fog and travel

January is the peak fog month across the plains of north India. In Kota, fog tends to be patchy and short-lived compared with Delhi or Lucknow, but highways and riverside roads can see dense patches at dawn. For travellers, the larger effect comes from elsewhere: trains from Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh often run late during long foggy spells.

• Check running status on the National Train Enquiry System before you leave.
• On the road, slow down, use low beams and fog lamps, and avoid overtaking in fog.
• If you are flying via Jaipur or Delhi, allow buffer time for fog delays at those airports.

The Kota travel weather guide has more on how each season affects trains and roads.

Rain in January

A normal January brings 5.7 mm of rain on less than one rainy day. The odd wet day comes with a western disturbance. Cloudy, damp days feel colder than their thermometer reading because the afternoon sun is missing, so keep a warm layer handy even when the forecast minimum looks mild.

Makar Sankranti and January events

Makar Sankranti, in mid-January, is celebrated with kite flying across Rajasthan. Weather-wise it usually falls in the dry, sunny heart of winter. The best flying is from late morning, after any fog or mist has gone and the air has warmed. Bring sunglasses and a cap: even in January the midday sun is bright on rooftops. Our Kota tourist season and festivals guide lists how other festivals line up with the weather.

Air quality

Calm, cold mornings are when air quality in Kota is usually at its worst, because smoke and dust stay trapped near the ground until the sun mixes the air. If you are sensitive to pollution, check the CPCB Air Quality Index and shift outdoor exercise to late morning. See Kota air quality for how to read the index.

January fog and visibility in numbers

January is Kota’s foggiest month. IMD’s Climatological Tables 1991-2020 for Kota Airport give:

Measure	January
Fog days	1.8
Mornings with visibility under 1 km	4.1
Mornings with visibility 1 to 4 km	20.6
Evenings with visibility under 1 km	0.3
Morning relative humidity	67%
Calm mornings	51%
Coldest night of the month (mean)	7.4 C

The pattern is clear: fog and haze are morning problems that usually clear by afternoon. Plan early road journeys with some slack and check train running status. Our Kota fog guide explains fog, mist and haze, and Kota wedding season weather covers cold wedding evenings.

What to wear and pack

• Warm jacket, sweater or shawl, and a thermal base layer for early starts.
• A cap, scarf and gloves if you ride a two-wheeler in the morning.
• Light shirts or kurtas for the afternoon.
• Closed shoes and warm socks.
• Moisturiser, lip balm and sunscreen.

See what to pack for Kota for every season.

Visiting in January

January is excellent for sightseeing as long as you start a little later in the morning. The Garh palace, museums, the riverfront and the old city temples are all comfortable from late morning to late afternoon, and the clear air makes for good photographs. For birdwatchers, the Chambal and Kota’s lakes are worth an early visit despite the cold. Compare the season in best time to visit Kota, and see the neighbouring months in Kota weather in December and Kota weather in February, or the full year in Kota weather by month.