The Climate of Kerala
Kerala’s climate is broadly tropical
and humid, moderated by its proximity to the coast.
The climate is also heavily influenced by the seasonal
heavy rains brought by the monsoon. But its mountains which line the interior
mean a larger variety of climate than on other tropical coasts.
While a night spent up in the mountains may be cool and even
showery, just a few hours below will almost always be the baking heat.
Kerala receives
an average annual rainfall of 3107 mm and approximately 7,030 crore m3 of
water. Kerala's rains are
mostly the result of seasonal monsoons.
As a result, Kerala has 120 to 140 rainy days per year.
The winter runs from December to the end of February, the
summer starts in February and continues until May, when the monsoons begin.
In summers, most of Kerala is prone to gale-force winds,
storm surges, and torrential downpours accompanying dangerous cyclones coming
in off the Indian Ocean.
The South West Monsoon starts in late May and lasts until
September, drenching and buffeting the state as it sweeps eastward from the Lakshadweep Sea. There is a second,
smaller monsoon from October to early December, which comes from the northeast.
Kerala’s average maximum daily temperature is around 36.7 °C and the
minimum is 19.8 °C.
