Palani Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park - Climate

Climate

Kodaikanal, India
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
59 18 8 35 19 9 53 20 10 136 21 12 146 21 13 98 19 12 122 18 11 153 18 11 186 18 11 254 17 11 235 16 10 141 17 9
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: Indian Meteorological Department
Imperial conversion
J F M A M J J A S O N D
2.3 64 47 1.4 65 47 2.1 68 50 5.4 69 53 5.8 70 55 3.8 66 54 4.8 64 53 6 64 52 7.3 65 52 10 63 51 9.3 62 49 5.6 62 48
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches

The Palani Hills have a montane Tropical monsoon climate which varies from west to east. Generally, as one proceeds from the Kerala border in the west to the foothills in the east, average rainfall decreases and temperature increases. Compared to the Deccan plateau and the southwestern coastal plains, temperatures vary from moderate to quite cool. In the central Palani Hills at Kodaikanal, during March to May, the temperature range is between 10.1 to 20.9 °C (50 to 70 °F). The temperature can rise to a high of 35 °C (95 °F). During Dec-Feb it is between 8.1 to 18.6 °C (47 to 65 °F). In January, night temperatures sometimes drop below freezing, and thin ice is seen on lake edges in the early morning.

The climate of the upper Palnis has four clearly defined seasons:

  • the dry season, usually between January and March, during which rain is scarce and limited to around 10 rainy days, the air is crisp, dry and cold, and when ground frost occurs;
  • The warm season of April and May when most tourists arrive for their holiday in the hills and when summer showers and rain may fall on 18 to 20 days;
  • The Southwest monsoon season extends between June and September, with around 45 days of rainfall spread over the four months;
  • The Northeast monsoon season from October through early December, when rain is abundant and occurs over 30 or more days. Depending on the timing of the northeast monsoon, the latter half of December may experience a few days of heavy rain or remain completely dry.

The average annual rainfall is 1,617 millimetres (63.7 in), mostly during the north-east monsoon.

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