The Climate
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.
