Weather of Darjeeling

If you are thinking to visit Darjeeling, and you are not sure about the best time to visit Darjeeling then your search ends here. Darjeeling Queen of the Hills of West Bengal, is a favorite destination for maximum Indians. It is very famous for its diverse culture and ethical standards. People visit here to relish the world-famous tea and witness the Eastern Himalayan flora and fauna. The natural surrounding and the history of British reign have decorated this place with elegance. As it is a hill station, hence one should always take good note of its weather and plan accordingly. Here we enlist every detail about the weather of Darjeeling for better preparation

DARJEELING

Best Time to Visit

The peak time to visit is March – May and September to November.

The shoulder season to visit is December to February.

The low season range from June – September due to monsoon.

Darjeeling is a treat for every season. For nature lovers, even the monsoon carries a story in itself to render a quiet and serene solitary space. Let us have a look into the prime phases for the visit.

Darjeeling Seasons

blooming in spring

March – April (Spring)

This is the best time to visit Darjeeling. Spring brings the cheering of the flowers and the chirping of birds all around. Sun shines bright but maintains to soothe everybody’s mood. We can enjoy the colors of vibrant nature all around.

Temperature – The temperature remains between 24.3°C in April as the highest and around 11°C in March as the lowest. Nights can be pretty cold.

Rain – It does not rain much during this time. A fair amount of rain up to 29 mm (1.1 inches) may be expected.

What to Wear–The spring season can be enjoyed by wearing your favorite dresses of choice even those with cotton fabric. Boys can flaunt their charm with their T-shirts, jeans, summer jackets, and even shorts during the daytime. A set of warm night suits is sufficient to face the cold nights.

Summer sunset and Darjeeling

May – June (Summer)

Darjeeling is suitable to visit during summer as well due to the pleasant mornings, bright days, and cool evenings. Be prepared to enjoy the showers of rain too.

Temperature – The average temperature lies between 26°C in June and the lowest at 16.9°C in May.

Rain – The average precipitation is around 244 mm (19.6 inches).

What to Wear – The absolute display of fashion prevails in the hills during this time. One doesn’t have to carry a heavy load of winter wear. One can enjoy wearing skirts, trousers, culottes, kurta-pajamas, or light maxis and dresses. The handsome hunks can be in shorts, colorful T-Shirts, and cargo.

Monsoon @ Darjeeling

July – September (Monsoon)

Well, this is the only phase that should be avoided to travel to Darjeeling due to heavy downpours. Landslides in hilly regions are a common occurrence that may disrupt the entire tour. This is the loneliest season. One can observe blank Mall Road due to off-season.

Temperature–The average temperature lies between 25.7°C highest in September and lowest to 19.3°C in July.

Rain – An average precipitation of 581 mm (22.9 inches) makes it the wettest month of the year. We can hardly see the sun during the days due to the constant rainfall. August and September give slight relief from the daily rainfall still one should be prepared to witness heavy stormy rainfall during these months at times.

What to Wear – Visitors in Darjeeling during should always have an umbrella, raincoats, and waterproof shoes for better grip in the hilly terrain. Summer clothes along with waterproof jackets are highly advisable

Cultural dress

October – November (Autumn)

The next peak season begins in October in Darjeeling welcoming tourists from far and wide. This season of autumn covers the entire region of hills with a distinct aura of optimism. This is the phase of the festival all around. Most of the time entire environment is filled with cultural programs and happenings.

Temperature–The average temperature goes high up to 25°C in October and lowest to around 10°C in November. It starts cooling down more at night.

Rain–We can experience rainfall to the highest level of 114 mm (4.5 inches) during October. The sun shines most of the time throughout the day and allows a lot of opportunity for getting the lucky view of beautiful sunrise and sunsets. However, November will have rare chances of rain with 7mm (0.3 inches) if rained. It is a normally dry month. November is regarded as the best month to tour Darjeeling.

What to Wear – Summer wear with a waterproof jacket along with denim jackets would be sufficient to enjoy the lovely days during this season.

tress in winter

December – February (Winter)

This particular phase is gifted with pleasant weather and visitors love the chill nights too. It is great for those who want to experience the true climate of hills. If one is lucky then snowfall can be a surprise experience for them.

Temperature – The temperature during this time remains Usually January is the coldest month where the temperature tends to go below 5 °C at times. Often the minimum temperature is recorded during the night. The maximum temperature goes up to 16 °C only. During February the temperature slightly increases to 15.6 °C and may down up to 7°C.

Rain - It’s a dry season with an average rain of 13 mm (0.5 inches) of rain. The sun shines at regular intervals.

What to Wear – As it can be cold to very cold, hence, visitors must carry long jackets, warm woolen clothes, caps, and gloves along with high neck and thermal wear for the night.

Snowfall in Darjeeling

Snowfall is quite rare in Darjeeling town. Tourists have been very lucky to have witnessed snowfall in certain periods of their visit in the main town and adjacent areas. If one wants to enjoy snowfall then they can visit Sandakphu as the winter season is filled with snowfall. Hence, one can enjoy snowfall in Sandakphu if they plan to visit in December end-February end. Snowfall can be enjoyed halfway toward Sandakphu from Tumling itself.

February 2022 was extremely lucky for Darjeeling town as it snowed heavily and the entire town was covered in snow. Tourists got ample time to play in the snow and make great memories.