Is It Monsoon?
Varanasi, India JANUARY
16°
★★★
Shoulder season
9° to 22°
Cold & Hazy
The coldest month of the year, with persistent fog and some of the worst air quality of the year.
🧥 Warm layers😷 Mask recommended
20°
★★★
Peak season
13° to 27°
Mild & Clearer
Noticeably milder and less foggy than January, though haze remains a real presence.
🧥 Light layers😷 Mask recommended
25°
★★★
Shoulder season
17° to 33°
Warming Fast
Pleasantly warm at first, though the heat builds quickly as the month goes on.
☀️ Sunscreen🥵 Heat building
31°
★★★
Shoulder season
22° to 38°
Hot Season Begins
Daytime highs regularly push past 38°C, with oppressive heat setting in for good.
🥵 Heat protection💧 Stay hydrated
33°
★★★
Shoulder season
26° to 41°
Scorching
Among the hottest months of the year, with temperatures that have reached 47°C.
🥵 Extreme heat💧 Stay hydrated
33°
★★★
Shoulder season
28° to 38°
Peak Heat
Nearly as hot as May, with the first monsoon showers starting to appear.
🥵 Extreme heat🌅 Dawn outings only
31°
★★★
Off-peak season
27° to 34°
Monsoon Arrives
Heavy rain finally brings some relief from the heat, though humidity climbs sharply.
☔ Umbrella essential💧 Stay hydrated
30°
★★★
Off-peak season
27° to 33°
Deep Monsoon
The wettest month of the year, hot and humid with the heaviest rain totals.
☔ Heavy rain gear⚠️ Flash-flood aware
30°
★★★
Off-peak season
26° to 33°
Monsoon Eases
Rain tapers off as the month goes on, still hot and humid.
☔ Umbrella handy🥵 Still humid
27°
★★★
Shoulder season
22° to 33°
Sunshine Returns
Drier air makes the lingering heat more bearable, though haze starts climbing again.
☀️ Sunscreen😷 Haze rising
23°
★★★
Peak season
16° to 29°
Comfortable but Hazy
Pleasant temperatures and plenty of sun, offset by rapidly worsening air quality as the smog season begins.
📅
Dev Deepawali, dates vary each year
Varanasi's own festival of lights, held on the full moon fifteen days after Diwali, when thousands of oil lamps are lit along the ghats lining the Ganges. Falling on the Hindu lunar calendar, it usually lands in November.
🧥 Light layers😷 Mask recommended
17°
★★★
Peak season
11° to 24°
Cold Sets In
Nearly as cold as January, with fog becoming more frequent as the month goes on.
🧥 Warm layers🌫️ Fog possible
Drag through the year Jan
Jan
⭐️
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
⭐️
Nov
⭐️
Dec
This month
Rainfall
15 mm
2 rainy days this month
Sunshine
7.5 hrs/day
58% of daylight hours
Humidity
74%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
5 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
25 mm
2 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8.5 hrs/day
65% of daylight hours
Humidity
63%
Comfortably humid
Wind
5 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
10 mm
1 rainy day this month
Sunshine
9.5 hrs/day
73% of daylight hours
Humidity
48%
Dry, comfortable air
Wind
6 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
5 mm
1 rainy day this month
Sunshine
10 hrs/day
77% of daylight hours
Humidity
37%
Dry, comfortable air
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
15 mm
2 rainy days this month
Sunshine
9.5 hrs/day
73% of daylight hours
Humidity
41%
Dry, comfortable air
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
104 mm
5 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8 hrs/day
62% of daylight hours
Humidity
58%
Comfortably humid
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
259 mm
13 rainy days this month
Sunshine
4.5 hrs/day
35% of daylight hours
Humidity
78%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
8 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
279 mm
12 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6 hrs/day
46% of daylight hours
Humidity
80%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
6 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
231 mm
9 rainy days this month
Sunshine
6.5 hrs/day
50% of daylight hours
Humidity
79%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
6 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
30 mm
2 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8.5 hrs/day
65% of daylight hours
Humidity
70%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
3 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
8 mm
0 rainy days this month
Sunshine
8.5 hrs/day
65% of daylight hours
Humidity
65%
Comfortably humid
Wind
3 km/h
Light, barely noticeable
Rainfall
5 mm
0 rainy days this month
Sunshine
7 hrs/day
54% of daylight hours
Humidity
72%
Air feels heavy and sticky
Wind
3 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: Feb, Nov, Dec
Varanasi's most comfortable stretch, dry air and pleasant days after the summer heat and before it returns. This is also when air pollution runs at its worst, so it's a real trade-off: comfortable temperatures paired with hazy skies. November and February tend to be the more reliable picks; the deepest part of winter, roughly mid-December to mid-January, adds cold nights and persistent fog on top of the haze.
🌤️
Shoulder season: Jan, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Oct
This tier spans real extremes. January carries the last of winter's cold and fog. March starts warm before the heat takes hold, and April and May are deep in the hot season, with highs that have reached 47°C. June stays extremely hot as the monsoon approaches, while October brings back drier air, though the heat and haze both linger.
☔
Off-peak season: Jul, Aug, Sep
The hottest, wettest stretch of the year. July and August bring the bulk of the year's rain along with high humidity, and September is still hot and muggy as the rains wind down.
Good to know
✈️
Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport
Varanasi's airport connects to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and a handful of international routes, mostly to Southeast Asia.
🛕
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world
Varanasi is among Hinduism's holiest sites, and the ghats lining the Ganges draw pilgrims and visitors for cremation rites, ritual bathing, and the nightly Ganga Aarti ceremony.
😷
Winter air pollution is severe
Varanasi sits in the same Indo-Gangetic plain as Delhi and Agra, and pollution runs worst from October to February, when stagnant conditions build up haze and smog.
🌫️
Fog is common from November to January
Fog can form at night and into the morning during these months, and even after it lifts, some days stay cool and overcast with highs as low as 15°C.
🥵
Summer heat is genuinely extreme
Temperatures have reached 47°C in both May and June, among the highest ever recorded in the region.
Top attractions
1
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
One of the holiest Hindu temples in India, dedicated to Shiva and known as the Golden Temple for its gold-plated spire, open from before dawn for the day's first rituals.
2
Dashashwamedh Ghat
The most iconic of Varanasi's riverfront ghats, packed every evening for the Ganga Aarti, a ceremony of fire, chanting, and music performed in honor of the river.
3
Sarnath
A major Buddhist pilgrimage site a short drive from the city center, marking the spot where the Buddha delivered his first sermon, with the Dhamek Stupa and an archaeological museum.