Tirunelveli climate
Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu, India) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 1,293 mm51 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tirunelveli climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3187 | 2068 | 2578 | 130.5 |
| Feb | 3493 | 2170 | 2882 | 160.6 |
| Mar | 3697 | 2374 | 3085 | 421.6 |
| Apr | 3595 | 2577 | 3086 | 903.5 |
| May | 3290 | 2577 | 2984 | 1365.4 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2476 | 2781 | 1365.3 |
| Jul | 3085 | 2475 | 2780 | 1104.3 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2474 | 2780 | 853.4 |
| Sep | 3087 | 2374 | 2781 | 1375.4 |
| Oct | 3086 | 2374 | 2780 | 2459.7 |
| Nov | 2984 | 2373 | 2678 | 2208.7 |
| Dec | 2984 | 2170 | 2577 | 612.4 |
| Year | 3697 | 2068 | 2781 | 1,29351 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 54% | 5.2 | 11:40 |
| Feb | 68% | 47% | 5.9 | 11:50 |
| Mar | 64% | 50% | 6.1 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 70% | 63% | 5.8 | 12:19 |
| May | 79% | 71% | 5.5 | 12:31 |
| Jun | 85% | 80% | 5.1 | 12:38 |
| Jul | 85% | 83% | 5.1 | 12:35 |
| Aug | 84% | 79% | 5.4 | 12:24 |
| Sep | 83% | 74% | 5.5 | 12:09 |
| Oct | 84% | 77% | 4.9 | 11:55 |
| Nov | 87% | 78% | 4.2 | 11:43 |
| Dec | 86% | 69% | 4.4 | 11:37 |
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 Tirunelveli is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 35 °C95 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 29 °C84 °F and lows 21 °C70 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5 °C9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,293 mm51 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 47% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January and February. The wettest month is October (245 mm9.7 in), the driest is January (13 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 64% in March to 87% in November. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 47%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in April to 15 km/h (9 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 11.6 hours in December to 12.6 hours in June.
Best time to visit Tirunelveli
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December and January: average highs of 29 °C84 °F to 31 °C87 °F with 13 mm0.5 in to 61 mm2.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is hot, with average highs of 30 °C86 °F, very wet (245 mm9.7 in) and humid (84% 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 Tirunelveli
- Wetter months (May–July, September–November) — highs 2984 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 2373 to 25 °C77 °F, about 164 mm6.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (December–April, August) — highs 2984 to 36 °C97 °F, lows 2068 to 25 °C77 °F, about 51 mm2.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Tirunelveli compares
Compared with Madurai, about 141 km to the north, Tirunelveli is on average 0.6 °C1.2 °F cooler and receives 35% more precipitation (1,293 mm51 in vs 959 mm38 in). The difference is largest in July (2.3 °C4.1 °F cooler).
Of the 382 places in India covered by World Climates, Tirunelveli is the 87th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 94th 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: Valera (Venezuela, Aw), Guanare (Venezuela, Aw) and Carora (Venezuela, Aw).
Nearby places
- Thoothukudi 50 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,053 mm41 in
- Nagercoil 67 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,314 mm52 in
- Sivakasi 81 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,321 mm52 in
- Thiruvananthapuram 85 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,797 mm71 in
- Kollam 122 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,053 mm81 in
- Madurai 141 km · 28 °C82 °F · 959 mm38 in
- Alappuzha 171 km · 28 °C82 °F · 2,710 mm107 in
- Dindigul 185 km · 27 °C81 °F · 825 mm32 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tirunelveli?
April is the warmest month in Tirunelveli, with an average high of 35 °C (95 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tirunelveli?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tirunelveli?
October is the wettest month with about 245 mm (9.7 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 13 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Tirunelveli?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December and January.
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 261 m, while Tirunelveli lies at about 49 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.4 °C2.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.