Best Time to Visit Delhi: Month by Month

The temperatures, rain and fog figures below are the IMD's monthly means for Safdarjung. The air quality notes come from CPCB bulletins sampled across the year, which give the city's average for the past 24 hours on one afternoon, not a monthly average.

January

The coldest month, with days at about 20°C and nights near 7.5°C. Safdarjung has fog on 21.6 days of the month, roughly two in three, and the IMD warns that dense fog can disrupt airports, highways and railway routes, so leave slack between connections. On the bulletins sampled, the air was Poor or Very Poor every time, Very Poor on seven of ten. The Republic Day parade goes down Kartavya Path on 26 January.

February

Days warm to about 24°C and nights to 10.6°C, and fog drops to about 11 days. Both bulletins sampled were Poor. Rashtrapati Bhavan's Amrit Udyan gardens have opened to the public from early February in recent years, for announced periods and with online booking required.

March

A mild month: days reach about 30°C, nights about 16°C, fog is down to 3.5 days and rain is rare, at under two rainy days. Three of the four bulletins sampled were Moderate and one was Poor, so the air has usually begun to clear. March is the last month of Delhi Tourism's season.

April

Days average 36.5°C and nights 21.3°C, with about one rainy day. The Hot Weather Season has begun, so start sightseeing at opening time and stop in the afternoon. All three bulletins sampled were Moderate.

May

The hottest month: days average 39.9°C and nights 25.8°C. The IMD records thunderstorms on about six days and squalls on three or four, so a hot afternoon can end in a storm, and it issues heatwave warnings for Delhi in this season. Two bulletins were Moderate and one Satisfactory.

June

Days average 39.0°C, and nights barely cool, at 27.7°C. Rain returns, at about 81 mm over five days, and the monsoon's normal onset is 27 June. The three bulletins sampled were all Moderate.

July

Hot and humid, with days near 36°C, nights at 27.5°C and about 196 mm of rain on nearly ten days. One bulletin sampled was Moderate and one Satisfactory.

August

The wettest month, with about 227 mm of rain on ten days and days near 34°C. Two of the three bulletins sampled were Satisfactory and one was Moderate. In the days before Independence Day on 15 August the Archaeological Survey of India closes the Red Fort to the public.

September

The rain eases to about five or six days, with days near 34°C and nights at 25°C, and the normal withdrawal date is 25 September. One bulletin sampled was Satisfactory and one Moderate.

October

Dry and warm, with days at 33°C, nights at 19.5°C and under one rainy day; fog returns on about three days. Four of the five bulletins sampled in October were Moderate, but the index was Very Poor on 22 October 2025, so the last third of the month is where the winter air begins. It is a good month if you can be flexible about the end of it.

November

Days fall to about 28°C and nights to 13°C, and fog on about 12 days. Every one of the six bulletins sampled was Very Poor or Severe, and on 11 November 2025 the index reached 428, in the Severe category. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage III of its graded restrictions on that date, citing calm winds and a stable atmosphere.

December

Days reach about 23°C and nights 8.4°C, with fog on 19.2 days. All seven bulletins sampled were Very Poor.

The CPCB bulletin gives each city's Air Quality Index as the average of the past 24 hours at 4 pm. Its categories run from Good and Satisfactory through Moderate (101–200) to Poor (201–300), Very Poor (301–400) and Severe (401–500). Poor means breathing discomfort for most people on prolonged exposure, Very Poor means respiratory illness on prolonged exposure, and Severe affects healthy people and seriously affects those with existing diseases.

On the bulletins sampled, Delhi was Poor or worse on every one of 23 between 1 November 2025 and 31 January 2026, and Very Poor or Severe on 20 of them. From April to September every bulletin sampled was Moderate or Satisfactory. That is a sample, not a count of days, but the pattern is clear: the months with the best temperatures for sightseeing are the months with the worst air. The CAQM brings in graded restrictions across the region when winter conditions are calm and stable.

A visit in these months is still possible. Plan indoor stops, such as museums (the National Museum is closed on Mondays), leave slack for fog, check the CPCB's live index on the day, and if you or a companion has asthma, a heart condition or a lung condition, ask your doctor before booking. Our air quality guide explains how to read the index.

For mild weather and clearer air together, aim for March, or early October if you do not mind warmth. If you must come between November and January, keep your sightseeing flexible and your connections generous. In April to June, start at sunrise and rest in the middle of the day. The monsoon is humid, with its heaviest rain in July and August. Our Delhi travel guide lists the sights and how to reach them, and our New Delhi travel guide covers the government quarter. For the whole country in a given month, see India in January, India in March and India in December. Guided walks, food trails and day trips from the capital are on our Delhi tours and experiences page, and our routes are on the Delhi tour packages page.