Nepal Weather By Places

Key Summary Table:

Kathmandu Weather (Weather in Kathmandu)

Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, experiences a moderate, humid mesothermal climate characterized by warm, rainy summers and dry winters.

Seasons

Kathmandu has four distinct seasons:

Pre-monsoon: March to May

Monsoon: June to September

Post-monsoon: October to November

Winter: December to February

Temperature

Average: 15.8°C (Weather Spark, 2024)

Rainfall

Average Rainfall: 321.2 mm (Climate Data, 2024)

According to Climate Data, the difference between July and December, the months with the lowest and highest levels of rainfall, is 752 mm.

Monsoon rainfall accounts for 90% of the total annual precipitation (Pokharel & Henderson, 2015). The pre-monsoon contributes 10% of the annual rainfall, and winter is typically dry (Mahapatra et al., 2019).

Wind

Average Wind Speed: 4.83 mph (Weather Spark, 2024). 

Winds predominantly blow from the southwest during the day and north at night, with stronger winds during the pre-monsoon (Panday & Prinn, 2009).

Humidity: 70.1% (Climate Data, 2024)

Air Quality

Pollution hotspot: Kathmandu has high PM2.5 levels, especially during winter and pre-monsoon (Saud & Paudel, 2018).

Topography impact: The valley traps pollutants, causing frequent extremely polluted days.

PM2.5 levels: Can exceed 100 μg/m³, ten times the WHO recommended limit.

Global ranking: Ranked 10th most polluted capital city globally in 2020 (Gautam et al., 2023).

Other Weather Events

Cold snaps occur in winter, with temperatures often falling below 0°C.
Kathmandu is vulnerable to flooding due to low-intensity rainfall (Phuyal, 2024).
Wildfires are a growing concern due to droughts (Kuikel et al., 2024).

Pokhara Weather (Weather In Pokhara)

Pokhara has a subtropical climate, meaning it experiences clear changes in temperature and rainfall throughout the year. The valley itself is considered to have a mild subtropical climate with warm summers and mild winters (Paudel, 2020). While rainfall is abundant during the monsoon season, recent trends show a decrease in both rainfall and temperature.

Temperature

Average Temperature: 18.3 °C (Climate Data, 2024)

Rainfall

Pokhara is one of the highest rainfall areas in Nepal (Paudel, 2020).

During the monsoon season (June–September) Pokhara gets an average rainfall of 799.33mm (74% of annual rainfall).

Duing the winter, Pokhara gets minimal rainfall averaging 4.00mm.

Seasonal Variations:

Heaviest Rainfall: June, July, and August.

Driest Months: November, December, and January.

Humidity

Average: 76.8% (Climate Data, 2024)

Pokhara has a subtropical climate with high humidity, especially during the monsoon season (June to September) due to heavy rainfall (Paudel, 2020; Niraula & Pokhrel, 2022).

Dryer months: Winter (November to January) sees lower humidity levels.

Average Sunshine Hours: According to Climate Data, Pokhara gets an average of about 7 hours of daily sunshine, with the highest being 9.4 hours in April and the lowest being 5.7 hours in November and December. 

Air Quality

Air pollution is a concern, especially due to Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5, from vehicles and industrial activity (Pandey et al., 2024).

Winter months: Higher pollution levels, particularly PM2.5 (Air Quality Index (AQI) >100).

Health risks: High levels of fine particulate matter, which can harm respiratory health.

Other Weather Events

Flood: Flooding is common due to heavy rainfall (Niraula & Pokhrel, 2022).

Chitwan Weather (Weather in Chitwan)

Chitwan, located in Nepal's Inner Terai region, experiences diverse weather patterns due to its geographical setting between the Himalayan foothills, Mahabharat range, and Siwalik hills, with elevations ranging from 150 to 800+ meters (Regmi, 2024).

Temperature

Tropical climate with hot summers and dry winters.

Average Temperature: 23.2 °C (Climate Data, 2024)

Rainfall

Annual Rainfall: Averaging 2307.6 mm (Mandal, 2020)

Monsoon: 78% of rainfall occurs from June to September (Bhandari et al., 2013).

Highest in July, tapering off in October.

Rainfall drops significantly after the monsoon.

Wind

Wind Patterns: Generally windy, except mornings (Regmi, 2024).

Maximum wind speeds can reach 7.8 m/s.

A clockwise circulation forms in the western valley (Regmi, 2024).

Seasons

Monsoon (July–September): High rainfall

Post-monsoon (October–December): Cooler, drier

Pre-monsoon (March–May): Hot and dry

Humidity: 75% (Regmi, 2024)

Experiences higher humidity in the morning, lower in the afternoon.

The western part of the valley is more humid than the east.

Other Weather Events

Chitwan is prone to floods, droughts, landslides, and extreme temperatures (Mandal, 2020).

Lumbini Weather (Weather in Lumbini)

Lumbini is situated in the Terai region of Nepal. It falls within the lower tropical bioclimatic zone, characterized by tropical weather, dry winters, and hot summers (Luitel et al., 2020).

Seasons

Monsoon (July–September): High rainfall

Post-monsoon (October–December): Cooler, drier

Pre-monsoon (March–May): Hot and dry (Shrestha et al., 2019)

Temperature

Average temperature: 24.2 °C  (Climate Data, 2024)

Rainfall

Average annual rainfall: 2002.1mm (Luitel et al., 2020)

Most rainfall occurs during the monsoon (June–September).

Wind

Max wind speed: 7.8 m/s (Regmi, 2014)

Diurnal variation: Experiences calm mornings and stronger afternoon winds

Humidity: 75% (Regmi, 2014)

Extreme Weather

Floods and droughts during monsoon.

Janakpur Weather (Weather in Janakpur)

Janakpur, located in Nepal's Terai region, has a humid subtropical climate (Jha et al., 2019) with distinct seasonal variations. The climate features a wet season, dry autumn, and a cold winter, with hot, dry conditions in the spring.

Seasons:

Wet: May–September.

Dry Autumn: October–November.

Cold Winter: December–February.

Hot & Windy: March–April (Karn et al., 2022).

Temperature

Average: 24.7 °C (Climate Data, 2024).

Rainfall

Annual Rainfall: 600mm (west) to 1300mm (east) (Jha et al., 2019).

Monsoon Season: June–September, accounts for 78% of rainfall (Merz et al., 2006).

Winds

Average Speed: According to Weather Spark, the average wind speed of Janakpur is about 6.1 mph.

Direction: Predominantly east to west (Karn et al., 2022).

Humidity: 54.13% (Weather and Climate, 2024)

Other Weather Events

Heatwaves & Droughts: Common in intense summers (Lal, 2016).

Cold Snaps: Winter temperatures range from 0–10°C (Karn et al., 2022).

Floods: A recurring issue in the region (Merz et al., 2006).

Dharan Weather (Weather in Dharan)

Dharan is located in eastern Nepal, at the foothills of the Mahabharata Range. It sits approximately 217 km east of Kathmandu. The city lies on fan deposits of the Sardu and Seuti Rivers. Dharan has a hot climate, with a distinct monsoon season from June to September marked by heavy rainfall.

Temperature

Average Temperature: 21.6 °C (Climate Data, 2024)

Rainfall

Annual Average Rainfall: Approximately 1,800 mm, concentrated from June to September (Pandey & Bajracharya, 2017).

Seasonality

Hottest Months (May - October): Daytime temperatures exceed 30°C (Lamsal & Bajracharya, 2016).

Cooler Mornings (December - February): Mild temperatures in the mornings, but nights remain warm.

Winds

Average Speed: 8.4kmh (Weather and Climate, 2024)

Humidity: 54.93% (Weather and Climate, 2024)

Other Weather Events

Floods: Frequent during the monsoon season, especially along the Sardu and Seuti Rivers (Aksha et al., 2020).

Landslides: Increased risk due to heavy rainfall and riverbank erosion.

Earthquakes: Dharan is in a seismically active area.

Biratnagar Weather (Weather in Biratnagar)

Biratnagar lies in eastern Nepal and experiences a tropical monsoon climate and is situated within the subtropical zone, with distinct seasonal variations (Yadav et al., 2024).

Seasons

Summer (March-June)

Monsoon (July-October)

Winter (November-February)

Temperature

Average temperature: 24.2 °C (Climate Data, 2024)

Temperatures range from 10.5°C in December to 33.9°C in April (Yadav et al., 2024).

Rainfall

Average annual rainfall: 1891.8 mm, with the heaviest rainfall in July (530.8 mm) (Chaudhary et al., 2021).

The monsoon season (June-September) accounts for major rainfall, while winter (December-February) receives the least.

Winds

Average Speed: According to Weather Spark, the average wind speed of Biratnagar is about 5.9 mph.

Humidity

Average humidity: 81.57% (Shrestha et al., 2018)

Other Weather Events

Cold waves are common in winter, with 9-14 cold wave days per year, and fog is frequent, especially from November to February (Shrestha et al., 2023).

Biratnagar is also flood-prone during the monsoon season due to heavy rainfall and inadequate embankments along local rivers (Gautam et al., 2024).

Bardiya Weather (Weather in Bardiya)

Located in the western part of Nepal’s Terai region, Bardiya experiences a humid subtropical climate with dry winters.

Seasons

Bardiya has three main seasons:

Summer (March–June)

Rainy (July–October)

Winter (November–February)

Temperature

Average Temperature: 19.91°C (Weather and Spark, 2024)

Trends: Winter temperatures in the Terai have shown a decreasing trend in maximum temperatures and diurnal range (Shrestha, Peel & Moore, 2023).

Cold Waves: Occur frequently in winter, averaging 15.6–17.9 cold days annually (Shrestha, Peel & Moore, 2023).

Rainfall

Annual Rainfall: 1891.8 mm, with a peak in the monsoon (Chaudhary, Limbu, & Kaphle, 2022).

Rainfall decreases from east to west across the Terai.

Wind

Average Speed: 2.8 m/s (Yadav et al., 2024)

Winds mainly blow from the north.

Wind speed peaks around 10:00 am.

Other Weather Events

Cold Waves: Most frequent in January, December, and February (Shrestha, Peel, & Moore, 2023).Between 72 and 198 days per decade.

Foggy days are more common during winter.

Humidity: 54.72% (Weather and Climate, 2024)

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