The climates of India

Discover the many different climates found across India.

India is diverse in its climate too. Travel from top to bottom of the map:

Where	Climate	What it's like
high Himalayas	alpine	cold, snowy winters; cool summers; the thickest clothes in India (alpine comes from the Alps in Europe)
lower Himalayas, hills	temperate	winters fairly cold, summers not too hot; hill stations
northern plains	subtropical	very hot summers, cold winters; most of India's wheat
Thar Desert (west)	arid	very hot days, cool nights, very little rain; people save every drop of water
western coast	tropical wet	heavy monsoon rain; good for rice and spices
Deccan Plateau	semi-arid	hot summers, mild winters, moderate rain
eastern India and the south	tropical	mild winters; clear wet and dry spells set by the monsoon winds

Why are desert nights cool? With almost no moisture in the air, the day's heat escapes as soon as the sun sets.

Notice how climate decides the crop: wheat in the subtropical plains, rice and spices on the wet coast, hardy millets where it's dry.

Quick check: Which climate is coldest? (alpine) Driest? (arid) Wettest? (tropical wet) Which has alternating wet and dry spells? (tropical)

India holds seven climates at once — and each one decides what grows there and what people wear.

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