When to Visit Kolkata

Kolkata lives by three seasons, plain and simple. November through February is the city at its kindest: nights drop to 14°C (57°F), the sky clears, and the heat that owns the rest of the year finally backs off. March signals the return of that heat, and by April and May the mercury hits 35°C (95°F). Humidity sits near 70 percent year-round, so the real feel is worse than the thermometer admits. June brings the monsoon and stays until October, dumping over a meter of rain and turning low-lying blocks into canals. What sets Kolkata apart is the Nor'wester, locally Kalbaishakhi. From March to May these pre-monsoon storms barrel in from the northwest, usually late afternoon. Skies shift to an eerie orange-green, the temperature plunges, and a brief but violent storm tears through. The relief is instant. After weeks of climbing heat, twenty minutes of rain lets the city breathe again. The monsoon is serious business. July and August each deliver about 371mm of rain. Flood-prone zones along the eastern edge can end up knee-deep on the worst days. Infrastructure struggles. That is just how it is. Yet the monsoon also knocks daytime highs down to 32°C (90°F), paints the streets green, and gives the city a texture the dry months lack.