Is It Monsoon?
Puducherry, India JANUARY
25°
★★★
Peak season
21° to 30°
Cool & Dry
The least hot month of the year, and the most comfortable stretch of the dry season.
📅
Pongal, mid-January
Tamil Nadu's major harvest festival is widely celebrated in and around Puducherry too, a four-day celebration marked by kolam patterns, the festival's namesake sweet rice dish, and family gatherings.
☀️ Sunscreen🧥 Light layers for evenings
26°
★★★
Peak season
22° to 31°
Warm & Dry
Still comfortably mild, with the dry season holding steady.
☀️ Sunscreen🧥 Light layers for evenings
28°
★★★
Shoulder season
23° to 33°
Heat Builds
Still technically the dry season, but the heat climbs fast from here.
☀️ Sunscreen🥵 Heat building
30°
★★★
Shoulder season
26° to 34°
Very Hot
Daytime highs regularly push past 34°C, with the hottest stretch of the year just ahead.
🥵 Heat protection💧 Stay hydrated
32°
★★★
Shoulder season
27° to 37°
Scorching
Among the hottest months of the year, with temperatures that have reached 43°C.
🥵 Extreme heat💧 Stay hydrated
32°
★★★
Peak season
27° to 37°
Shielded from the Monsoon
Just as hot as May, but the Western Ghats keep rainfall relatively light even as the southwest monsoon begins elsewhere.
🥵 Heat protection☔ Light rain jacket
31°
★★★
Shoulder season
26° to 36°
Rain Picks Up
Still very hot, with rain becoming more frequent as the monsoon strengthens.
☔ Umbrella handy💧 Stay hydrated
30°
★★★
Shoulder season
26° to 35°
Rainy Season Begins
Rain grows more frequent as winds increasingly blow in from the east.
☔ Umbrella handy💧 Stay hydrated
30°
★★★
Shoulder season
25° to 34°
Building Toward Monsoon
Hot and increasingly wet, as the year's wettest stretch approaches.
☔ Umbrella handy🥵 Still hot
29°
★★★
Off-peak season
24° to 33°
Northeast Monsoon Arrives
Rain becomes a near-daily event as the true wet season sets in.
☔ Umbrella essential⚠️ Flash-flood aware
27°
★★★
Off-peak season
23° to 31°
Wettest Month
The wettest month of the year, driven by the retreating northeast monsoon.
☔ Heavy rain gear⚠️ Flash-flood aware
26°
★★★
Off-peak season
22° to 29°
Still Unsettled
Cooler, but still within the rainy season, with unsettled weather lingering before the dry months return.
☔ Umbrella handy🧥 Light layers for evenings
Drag through the year Jan
⭐️
Jan
⭐️
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
⭐️
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
This month
Rainfall
18 mm
1 rainy day this month
Sunshine
7.5 hrs/day
58% of daylight hours
Humidity
74%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
6 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
18 mm
1 rainy day this month
Sunshine
8.5 hrs/day
65% of daylight hours
Humidity
72%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
18 mm
1 rainy day this month
Sunshine
9.5 hrs/day
73% of daylight hours
Humidity
70%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
20 mm
1 rainy day this month
Sunshine
10 hrs/day
77% of daylight hours
Humidity
71%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
11 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
66 mm
2 rainy days this month
Sunshine
9.5 hrs/day
73% of daylight hours
Humidity
65%
Comfortably humid
Wind
13 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
58 mm
3 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8 hrs/day
62% of daylight hours
Humidity
61%
Comfortably humid
Wind
13 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
74 mm
5 rainy days this month
Sunshine
4.5 hrs/day
35% of daylight hours
Humidity
65%
Comfortably humid
Wind
11 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
135 mm
7 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6 hrs/day
46% of daylight hours
Humidity
69%
Comfortably humid
Wind
11 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
135 mm
7 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6.5 hrs/day
50% of daylight hours
Humidity
73%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
10 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
259 mm
11 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8.5 hrs/day
65% of daylight hours
Humidity
79%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
6 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
348 mm
11 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8.5 hrs/day
65% of daylight hours
Humidity
81%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
6 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
249 mm
6 rainy days this month
Sunshine
7 hrs/day
54% of daylight hours
Humidity
78%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
★★★ peak season, ★★☆ decent shoulder months, ★☆☆ true off-peak, based on rain frequency, heat, and haze.
Seasons at a glance
🌟
Peak season: Jan, Feb, Jun
Puducherry's most comfortable stretch overall. January and February are the least hot months of the dry season, while June, though within the rainy half of the year, is shielded by the Western Ghats and stays relatively dry.
🌤️
Shoulder season: Mar, Apr, May, Jul, Aug, Sep
This tier spans real extremes. March through May are still technically dry season, but the heat climbs fast, peaking just before the monsoon. July sees rain pick up as the southwest monsoon strengthens, while August and September grow increasingly wet as the wind shifts to blow more from the east.
☔
Off-peak season: Oct, Nov, Dec
The wettest stretch of the year, driven by the northeast monsoon. November alone averages nearly 350mm of rain, and the retreating monsoon keeps December's weather unsettled even as temperatures cool.
Good to know
🇫🇷
A former French colony
Puducherry was under French rule until 1954, and the French Quarter, or White Town, still has colonial villas, French street signs, and a French-speaking community.
🕉️
Home to Auroville and Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Auroville, an experimental international township founded in 1968, and the nearby ashram both draw visitors interested in spirituality and alternative living.
✈️
No major airport of its own
Puducherry's small airport has limited service; most visitors arrive by road or rail via Chennai, about three hours away.
🌀
Cyclone risk concentrated in autumn
Like nearby Chennai, the coast is normally only affected by cyclones from mid-October to December, and more rarely in May.
Top attractions
1
White Town (French Quarter)
Pastel-colored colonial villas, wrought-iron balconies, and cobblestone streets along the seafront, with the promenade, the Old Lighthouse, and the French War Memorial nearby.
2
Auroville
An experimental international township founded in 1968, centered on the golden Matrimandir meditation dome, with a visitor centre explaining the community's philosophy.
3
Sri Aurobindo Ashram
A spiritual community founded in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, home to their Samadhi and a quiet, contemplative counterpoint to the busier French Quarter streets.