Kolkata climate
Kolkata (West Bengal, India) has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C78 °F, and about 1,565 mm62 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Kolkata climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2476 | 1050 | 1763 | 130.5 |
| Feb | 3085 | 1458 | 2272 | 200.8 |
| Mar | 3595 | 2068 | 2781 | 311.2 |
| Apr | 38101 | 2476 | 3188 | 502.0 |
| May | 3798 | 2679 | 3289 | 1445.7 |
| Jun | 3392 | 2780 | 3086 | 2319.1 |
| Jul | 3188 | 2679 | 2984 | 33313 |
| Aug | 3187 | 2678 | 2883 | 30912 |
| Sep | 3086 | 2577 | 2882 | 25910 |
| Oct | 3085 | 2272 | 2679 | 1465.7 |
| Nov | 2781 | 1762 | 2271 | 220.9 |
| Dec | 2475 | 1153 | 1864 | 90.3 |
| Year | 38101 | 1050 | 2678 | 1,56562 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65% | 27% | 3.8 | 10:53 |
| Feb | 57% | 25% | 4.7 | 11:22 |
| Mar | 55% | 34% | 5.4 | 11:58 |
| Apr | 60% | 44% | 5.9 | 12:39 |
| May | 67% | 60% | 5.8 | 13:13 |
| Jun | 80% | 82% | 4.6 | 13:30 |
| Jul | 87% | 88% | 4.2 | 13:23 |
| Aug | 89% | 86% | 4.2 | 12:54 |
| Sep | 89% | 75% | 4.4 | 12:15 |
| Oct | 84% | 47% | 4.4 | 11:35 |
| Nov | 78% | 25% | 4.1 | 11:01 |
| Dec | 74% | 26% | 3.6 | 10:45 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Kolkata is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 37 °C98 °F and a low of 26 °C79 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 24 °C76 °F and lows 10 °C50 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 14.2 °C25.6 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,565 mm62 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 57% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December and January. The wettest month is July (333 mm13 in), the driest is December (9 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 55% in March to 89% in September. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 25%) are typical of November. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in November to 11 km/h (7 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 10.8 hours in December to 13.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Kolkata
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are November–February: average highs of 24 °C75 °F to 30 °C85 °F with 9 mm0.3 in to 22 mm0.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is hot, with average highs of 31 °C88 °F, very wet (333 mm13 in) and humid (87% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Kolkata weather by month
- January24 °C76 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- February30 °C85 °F / 14 °C58 °F
- March35 °C95 °F / 20 °C68 °F
- April38 °C101 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- May37 °C98 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- June33 °C92 °F / 27 °C80 °F
- July31 °C88 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- August31 °C87 °F / 26 °C78 °F
- September30 °C86 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- October30 °C85 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- November27 °C81 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- December24 °C75 °F / 11 °C53 °F
What to pack for Kolkata
- Wetter months (May–October) — highs 3085 to 37 °C98 °F, lows 2272 to 27 °C80 °F, about 237 mm9.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (November–April) — highs 2475 to 38 °C101 °F, lows 1050 to 24 °C76 °F, about 24 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Kolkata compares
Compared with Dhaka, about 245 km to the northeast, Kolkata is on average 0.3 °C0.6 °F warmer and receives 30% less precipitation (1,565 mm62 in vs 2,224 mm88 in). The difference is largest in May (2 °C3.6 °F warmer).
Of the 382 places in India covered by World Climates, Kolkata is the 229th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 51st wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the India climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Jessore (Bangladesh, Cwa), Khulna (Bangladesh, Cwa) and Kushtia (Bangladesh, Cwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Howrah (pop. 1,027,672), Maheshtala (pop. 448,317), Rajpur Sonarpur (pop. 424,368), Panihati (pop. 378,705), Kamarhati (pop. 332,965), Bali (pop. 296,973), Uluberiya (pop. 235,345), Khardah (pop. 128,346), Titagarh (pop. 127,751), Dam Dam (pop. 122,719) and Rishra (pop. 117,014). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Kolkata, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Barasat 21 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,718 mm68 in
- Bhatpara 34 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,459 mm57 in
- Habra 43 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,593 mm63 in
- Haldia 62 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,717 mm68 in
- Bangaon 72 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,593 mm63 in
- Satkhira 75 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,956 mm77 in
- Shantipur 76 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,459 mm57 in
- Barddhaman 93 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,350 mm53 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Kolkata?
May is the warmest month in Kolkata, with an average high of 37 °C (98 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (79 °F).
What is the coldest month in Kolkata?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 24 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (50 °F).
When does it rain the most in Kolkata?
July is the wettest month with about 333 mm (13.1 in) of precipitation; December is the driest with about 9 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Kolkata?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are November–February.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.