Shillong climate
Shillong (Meghalaya, India) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C61 °F, and about 3,043 mm120 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Shillong climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1559 | 337 | 948 | 90.4 |
| Feb | 1763 | 541 | 1152 | 291.2 |
| Mar | 2068 | 948 | 1458 | 823.2 |
| Apr | 2272 | 1355 | 1763 | 31813 |
| May | 2373 | 1559 | 1966 | 41917 |
| Jun | 2374 | 1763 | 2069 | 57423 |
| Jul | 2374 | 1864 | 2169 | 58623 |
| Aug | 2374 | 1864 | 2169 | 44618 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1762 | 2067 | 35414 |
| Oct | 2171 | 1356 | 1763 | 1927.6 |
| Nov | 1966 | 847 | 1456 | 180.7 |
| Dec | 1660 | 541 | 1051 | 150.6 |
| Year | 2374 | 337 | 1661 | 3,043120 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74% | 34% | 3.8 | 10:42 |
| Feb | 68% | 36% | 4.5 | 11:16 |
| Mar | 65% | 46% | 5.1 | 11:57 |
| Apr | 78% | 65% | 5.1 | 12:44 |
| May | 85% | 80% | 4.8 | 13:23 |
| Jun | 90% | 90% | 3.9 | 13:43 |
| Jul | 92% | 94% | 3.8 | 13:35 |
| Aug | 91% | 91% | 4.1 | 13:02 |
| Sep | 91% | 85% | 3.9 | 12:16 |
| Oct | 86% | 57% | 4.2 | 11:30 |
| Nov | 82% | 32% | 4.2 | 10:51 |
| Dec | 80% | 31% | 3.8 | 10:33 |
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 Shillong is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 23 °C74 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 15 °C59 °F and lows 3 °C37 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 11.6 °C21 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
It is very wet, receiving about 3,043 mm120 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 53% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: November–January. The wettest month is July (586 mm23 in), the driest is January (9 mm0.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 65% in March to 92% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 31%) are typical of December. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in November to 7 km/h (4 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 10.5 hours in December to 13.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Shillong
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February and March and November: average highs of 17 °C63 °F to 20 °C68 °F with 18 mm0.7 in to 82 mm3.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is very wet (586 mm23 in).
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 Shillong
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1559 to 17 °C63 °F, lows 337 to 5 °C41 °F, about 18 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 2068 to 23 °C73 °F, lows 948 to 15 °C59 °F, about 273 mm11 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Summer (June–August) — highs around 23 °C74 °F, lows 1763 to 18 °C64 °F, about 535 mm21 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1966 to 23 °C73 °F, lows 847 to 17 °C62 °F, about 188 mm7.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Shillong compares
Compared with Guwahati, about 70 km to the north, Shillong is on average 9 °C16.3 °F cooler and receives 51% more precipitation (3,043 mm120 in vs 2,012 mm79 in). The difference is largest in April (9.9 °C17.8 °F cooler).
Of the 382 places in India covered by World Climates, Shillong is the 377th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Antsirabe (Madagascar, Cwb), Tengyue (China, Cwb) and Baoshan (China, Cwb).
Nearby places
- Guwahati 70 km · 25 °C77 °F · 2,012 mm79 in
- Sylhet 74 km · 25 °C77 °F · 3,707 mm146 in
- Nagaon 117 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,629 mm64 in
- Silchar 124 km · 25 °C77 °F · 2,911 mm115 in
- Mymensingh 174 km · 25 °C77 °F · 2,763 mm109 in
- Dimapur 188 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,410 mm55 in
- Ashuganj City 191 km · 25 °C78 °F · 2,295 mm90 in
- Bhairab Bazar 192 km · 25 °C78 °F · 2,295 mm90 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Shillong?
August is the warmest month in Shillong, with an average high of 23 °C (74 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Shillong?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 15 °C (59 °F) and an average low of 3 °C (37 °F).
When does it rain the most in Shillong?
July is the wettest month with about 586 mm (23.1 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 9 mm (0.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Shillong?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February and March and November.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,225 m, while Shillong lies at about 1,507 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.8 °C3.3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.