Shimla climate
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh, India) has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C56 °F, and about 1,093 mm43 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Shimla climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 949 | −327 | 338 | 401.6 |
| Feb | 1254 | −131 | 642 | 451.8 |
| Mar | 1864 | 439 | 1151 | 421.6 |
| Apr | 2475 | 1049 | 1762 | 321.2 |
| May | 2983 | 1458 | 2171 | 421.7 |
| Jun | 2983 | 1762 | 2373 | 1405.5 |
| Jul | 2475 | 1661 | 2068 | 28111 |
| Aug | 2171 | 1559 | 1865 | 28311 |
| Sep | 2069 | 1254 | 1661 | 1576.2 |
| Oct | 1966 | 745 | 1356 | 120.5 |
| Nov | 1559 | 337 | 948 | 70.3 |
| Dec | 1152 | −130 | 541 | 130.5 |
| Year | 2983 | −327 | 1456 | 1,09343 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46% | 67% | 3.0 | 10:20 |
| Feb | 47% | 71% | 3.7 | 11:03 |
| Mar | 42% | 68% | 4.9 | 11:54 |
| Apr | 34% | 69% | 6.0 | 12:54 |
| May | 29% | 67% | 6.5 | 13:43 |
| Jun | 42% | 71% | 6.0 | 14:09 |
| Jul | 69% | 83% | 4.8 | 13:59 |
| Aug | 79% | 83% | 4.5 | 13:16 |
| Sep | 74% | 65% | 5.0 | 12:18 |
| Oct | 54% | 49% | 4.9 | 11:21 |
| Nov | 44% | 53% | 3.9 | 10:32 |
| Dec | 42% | 57% | 3.2 | 10:08 |
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 Shimla is like
The warmest month is June, with an average high of 29 °C83 °F and a low of 17 °C62 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 9 °C49 °F and lows −3 °C27 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 19.5 °C35 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,093 mm43 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 66% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: October–December. The wettest month is August (283 mm11 in), the driest is November (7 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 29% in May to 79% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 49%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in September to 8 km/h (5 mph) in May. Daylight lasts from about 10.1 hours in December to 14.2 hours in June.
Best time to visit Shimla
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and October: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 29 °C83 °F with 12 mm0.5 in to 42 mm1.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 9 °C49 °F.
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 Shimla
- Winter (December–February) — highs 949 to 12 °C54 °F, lows −327 to −1 °C31 °F, about 33 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1864 to 29 °C83 °F, lows 439 to 14 °C58 °F, about 39 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2171 to 29 °C83 °F, lows 1559 to 17 °C62 °F, about 234 mm9.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1559 to 20 °C69 °F, lows 337 to 12 °C54 °F, about 59 mm2.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Shimla compares
Compared with Chandigarh, about 55 km to the southwest, Shimla is on average 11.1 °C20 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in May (12 °C21.6 °F cooler).
Of the 382 places in India covered by World Climates, Shimla is the 381st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 143rd 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: Liupanshui (China, Cwb), Bijie (China, Cwa) and Zhaotong (China, Cwb).
Nearby places
- Chandigarh 55 km · 25 °C76 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
- Yamuna Nagar 109 km · 25 °C76 °F · 1,251 mm49 in
- Patiala 113 km · 25 °C77 °F · 733 mm29 in
- Dehradun 120 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,294 mm51 in
- Ludhiana 127 km · 25 °C77 °F · 660 mm26 in
- Thanesar 130 km · 25 °C77 °F · 915 mm36 in
- Saharanpur 131 km · 25 °C76 °F · 1,251 mm49 in
- Phagwara 133 km · 25 °C78 °F · 660 mm26 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Shimla?
June is the warmest month in Shimla, with an average high of 29 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Shimla?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 9 °C (49 °F) and an average low of -3 °C (27 °F).
When does it rain the most in Shimla?
August is the wettest month with about 283 mm (11.1 in) of precipitation; November is the driest with about 7 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Shimla?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and October.
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 898 m, while Shimla lies at about 2,073 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −7.6 °C13.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.