Delhi's most comfortable stretch, dry air, pleasant days, and a break from both the summer's extreme heat and the monsoon's rain. This is also when air pollution runs at its worst all year, so it's a real trade-off: comfortable temperatures paired with the smoggiest skies. November and February tend to be the more reliable picks; the deepest part of winter, roughly mid-December to late January, adds cold nights and persistent fog on top of the pollution.

This tier spans real extremes. January carries the last of winter's cold and fog. March starts pleasantly warm before the heat takes hold, and April is already deep in the hot season, with daytime highs regularly past 37°C. May and September flank the monsoon, one scorching and dry, the other hot and humid as the rains wind down. October brings back the sunshine, though the air is still warm and increasingly hazy.

The hottest, wettest stretch of the year. June brings the last, most extreme heat before the monsoon breaks, with temperatures that have reached above 48°C. July and August bring the bulk of the rain along with high humidity, though air quality is genuinely at its best during these months, since the rain washes pollution out of the air.