Puducherry climate
Puducherry (Puducherry, India) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 28 °C83 °F, and about 1,153 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Puducherry climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 2373 | 2577 | 180.7 |
| Feb | 2883 | 2474 | 2679 | 80.3 |
| Mar | 3187 | 2577 | 2882 | 180.7 |
| Apr | 3290 | 2781 | 3086 | 311.2 |
| May | 3392 | 2882 | 3187 | 692.7 |
| Jun | 3391 | 2882 | 3086 | 592.3 |
| Jul | 3290 | 2781 | 3086 | 813.2 |
| Aug | 3289 | 2780 | 2985 | 1094.3 |
| Sep | 3188 | 2680 | 2984 | 1234.8 |
| Oct | 3085 | 2679 | 2882 | 2349.2 |
| Nov | 2883 | 2577 | 2780 | 27311 |
| Dec | 2781 | 2475 | 2578 | 1305.1 |
| Year | 3392 | 2373 | 2883 | 1,15345 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 42% | 5.0 | 11:30 |
| Feb | 75% | 35% | 5.9 | 11:44 |
| Mar | 73% | 36% | 6.3 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 73% | 44% | 6.5 | 12:23 |
| May | 72% | 58% | 6.1 | 12:40 |
| Jun | 69% | 74% | 5.7 | 12:49 |
| Jul | 70% | 80% | 5.4 | 12:46 |
| Aug | 73% | 78% | 5.5 | 12:31 |
| Sep | 77% | 75% | 5.5 | 12:11 |
| Oct | 80% | 71% | 4.8 | 11:51 |
| Nov | 82% | 70% | 4.1 | 11:34 |
| Dec | 80% | 57% | 4.1 | 11:26 |
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 Puducherry is like
The warmest month is May, with an average high of 33 °C92 °F and a low of 28 °C82 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 27 °C81 °F and lows 23 °C73 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.6 °C10.1 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,153 mm45 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is October–December, which brings 55% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January–March. The wettest month is November (273 mm11 in), the driest is February (8 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 69% in June to 82% in November. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 35%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 11 km/h (7 mph) in October to 16 km/h (10 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Puducherry
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are January and February: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 8 mm0.3 in to 18 mm0.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is November, which is very wet (273 mm11 in) and humid (82% 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.
What to pack for Puducherry
- Wetter months (August–December) — highs 2781 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2475 to 27 °C80 °F, about 174 mm6.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (January–July) — highs 2781 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 2373 to 28 °C82 °F, about 41 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Puducherry compares
Compared with Kallakurichi, about 97 km to the west, Puducherry has practically the same average temperature and receives 32% more precipitation (1,153 mm45 in vs 874 mm34 in). The difference is largest in April (1.8 °C3.3 °F cooler).
Of the 382 places in India covered by World Climates, Puducherry is the 12th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 132nd 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: Phan Rang-Tháp Chàm (Vietnam, Aw), Tuy Hòa (Vietnam, Aw) and Ninh Hòa (Vietnam, Aw).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Gundupalaiyam (pop. 300,104) and Cuddalore (pop. 173,636). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Puducherry, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Neyveli 51 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,044 mm41 in
- Tiruvannamalai 88 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,086 mm43 in
- Kallakurichi 97 km · 28 °C82 °F · 874 mm34 in
- Kanchipuram 101 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,253 mm49 in
- Pallavaram 120 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,253 mm49 in
- Nagapattinam 130 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,051 mm41 in
- Vellore 133 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,059 mm42 in
- Chennai 137 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,253 mm49 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Puducherry?
May is the warmest month in Puducherry, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 28 °C (82 °F).
What is the coldest month in Puducherry?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (73 °F).
When does it rain the most in Puducherry?
November is the wettest month with about 273 mm (10.7 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 8 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Puducherry?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are January and 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.