Kota weather today: a quick daily check that actually helps

“What’s the Kota weather today?” is the most common weather question in the city, from students checking before a long day at coaching to families deciding whether an evening at the riverfront is a good idea. The answer, in numbers, is in the official IMD forecast. What this page adds is the context: where to look, which three things to check, and how to tell whether today is a normal day for the season or one that needs a change of plan.

Where to check today’s weather

• IMD city forecast: on mausam.imd.gov.in, Kota is listed under Rajasthan. It shows today’s expected maximum and minimum, the type of weather, and sunrise and sunset times.
• Mausam app: the same forecast on your phone, plus current conditions, radar and any warnings for your location.
• Meteorological Centre Jaipur: the daily weather summary lists what Kota actually recorded yesterday, which is a useful check on how today compares.
• Air quality: the Central Pollution Control Board’s AQI portal shows hourly readings from monitoring stations, including those in Rajasthan’s larger cities.

For the days ahead, see our guide to the Kota weather forecast. For alerts, see Kota weather warnings.

The three-point check

1. Is there a warning?

Before anything else, look at the colour on today’s district warning. Green means a normal day. Yellow, orange or red means read the warning text: it might be heat, a thunderstorm, heavy rain or, in winter, fog and cold.

2. What are the maximum and the rain chance?

The maximum tells you how to plan the middle of the day. In Kota, the difference between a 32 C day and a 42 C day is the difference between walking to a temple at noon and staying indoors from 11 am to 4 pm. The rain chance tells you whether to carry an umbrella; in the monsoon, carry one anyway.

3. Is the air still and hazy?

On calm winter mornings, smoke, dust and fog can sit low over the city. If you have asthma or are sensitive to pollution, a quick look at the AQI before an early walk is worthwhile.

Is today normal? Compare with the monthly average

A forecast number means more when you compare it to the normal for the month. Here are the IMD 1991-2020 normals for Kota Airport, rounded:

Month	Normal max	Normal min	Normal rainy days
Jan	23 C	11 C	under 1
Feb	27 C	14 C	under 1
Mar	33 C	20 C	under 1
Apr	39 C	26 C	about 1
May	43 C	30 C	about 1
Jun	40 C	30 C	about 5
Jul	34 C	27 C	about 12
Aug	32 C	26 C	about 11
Sep	34 C	26 C	about 6
Oct	35 C	22 C	about 1
Nov	30 C	17 C	under 1
Dec	26 C	13 C	under 1

If today’s forecast maximum is several degrees above the normal for the month, expect it to feel hard going even if the number itself does not look extreme. The full table, with rainfall and records, is in Kota weather by month.

What today’s weather means, season by season

Winter mornings (December to February)

Start cold, end warm. A 9 C morning can become a 25 C afternoon. Layers beat one heavy jacket. On foggy mornings, roads out of the city and trains from the north run slow; check train running status before leaving for the station. More in Kota winter weather.

Hot days (April to June)

If the maximum is 40 C or more, plan outdoor errands before 10 am or after 5 pm. Drink water steadily through the day rather than all at once. Watch the sky in late afternoon in May and June: towering clouds can bring a dust storm or thunderstorm by evening. See Kota heatwave.

Monsoon days (July to September)

Rain usually comes in heavy bursts with breaks. Check whether the forecast mentions heavy rain; if it does, avoid underpasses and low roads at the height of a downpour. If you are near the Chambal, listen for announcements about barrage gates. See Kota monsoon.

Post-monsoon days (October and November)

The easiest weather of the year: dry, clear, warm afternoons and cool evenings. A normal day needs nothing more than sun cover by day and a light layer late at night in November.

Reading humidity and air quality

Two numbers on a weather app are often ignored but matter in Kota:

• Humidity. A morning reading is usually much higher than the afternoon one, because relative humidity falls as the air warms. In April and May, very low afternoon humidity means dry heat and quiet dehydration; from late June to September, high humidity means sweat cools you less. See Kota humidity for normal values by month.
• AQI. The Air Quality Index can change band between dawn and afternoon. On calm winter mornings it is often at its worst; dusty winds in May and June push up PM10. Our Kota air quality guide explains the six AQI bands and where Kota’s monitoring stations are.

In thunderstorm season, add one more check: the free Damini lightning app or the IMD nowcast. See Kota lightning safety.

Sunrise and sunset

Kota is in western India but runs on Indian Standard Time, so mornings start fairly late in winter. Sunrise is a little after 7 am in January and around 5:35 am in June; sunset moves from about 5:40 pm in late November and early December to about 7:20 pm around the end of June. For the exact times today, check the IMD city forecast. Our Kota sunrise and sunset times page has a half-monthly table with first light, last light and day length. If you are planning sunrise at Garadia Mahadev, allow travel time to get out of the city before first light.

Today’s weather and travel

If you are travelling to or from Kota today, the weather risks are seasonal: fog delays in winter, heat on long road journeys in summer, and waterlogged roads in the monsoon. Our Kota travel weather guide explains each, and what to pack for Kota covers clothing for every month.