WeatherJourney.com

Kathmandu weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Continuously inhabited since ancient times, Kathmandu spreads its temples and Newar heritage across a high valley where the summer monsoon, more than the calendar, marks the turning of the year. Kathmandu weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+1.2°Chigh near average

25° / 15°Today
24° / 16°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+1.6°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–497days above 30°C a year now (2016–2025) · 2 in the 1940sdays above 30°C · 2 in the 1940s+1.6°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 56 mmhigh 16°low 6°February, rain 52 mmhigh 18°low 7°March, rain 64 mmhigh 22°low 10°April, rain 82 mmhigh 26°low 14°May, rain 183 mmhigh 26°low 17°June, rain 500 mmhigh 27°low 20°July, rain 777 mmhigh 26°low 21°August, rain 633 mmhigh 26°low 21°September, rain 364 mmhigh 26°low 19°October, rain 126 mmhigh 24°low 15°November, rain 37 mmhigh 20°low 11°December, rain 28 mmhigh 17°low 7°wettest month July, 777 mm · 2,902 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Mostly clear

Right now

22.5°

23°feels like
59%humidity
14°dew point
8 km/hfrom W
UV index0.1
sunrise06:02sunset17:38day length11h 36m
TodayMostly clear25°15°
TueClear26°15°
WedPartly cloudy27°16°
ThuClear26°15°
FriMostly clear25°16°
SatPartly cloudy24°15°
SunPartly cloudy25°15°

On this date: October 12

Today (forecast)
25° / 15°
Average for October 12
24° / 16°

High near average · +1.2°C

  • Record high: 29.6° · 2021
  • Record low: 10.2° · 1982
  • One year ago: 27° / 13°

Every October 12 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 12 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Kathmandu is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 27.70°N, 85.32°E, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
27.70°N, 85.32°E
Time zone
Asia/Kathmandu
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

20 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +0.2°C.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Kathmandu sits in the northwest of the Kathmandu Valley, with the Bagmati River tracing its southern edge, at an average elevation of about 1,400 metres. Elevation shapes the climate: most of the city, on the valley's lower ground, is humid subtropical (Köppen Cwa), while its higher fringes grade into a subtropical highland climate (Cwb). The monsoon sets the rhythm of the year, delivering most of the city's rain between June and September.

Rainfall varies sharply from year to year (the 2000s brought both an unusually weak monsoon in 2001 and an exceptionally wet 2003), while snow, a familiar sight on the hills above, has fallen in the city itself only a handful of times, 1945 and 2007 among them. The valley also contends with serious air pollution. Analyses by Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology show average maximum temperatures rising steadily since the 1970s, and precipitation extremes (monsoon floods and the landslides they trigger) are increasing.

July brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 25.9°C and nights around 20.7°C. Around 115 nights a year stay above 20°C. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 16.0°C and overnight lows sit around 5.9°C.

Kathmandu picks up roughly 2,902 mm a year, with a peak of 777 mm in July and as little as 28 mm in December. Precipitation falls on roughly 182 days in a typical year.

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Kathmandu now averages 1.6°C warmer than it did in the 1940s. That last decade has also been the warmest in the record.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.orgdhm.gov.np

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 12°C. Wettest month: July (~777 mm). Whole year averages ~2,902 mm of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 182 rainy days a year: most in July (~31), fewest in December (~3).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 2 mm per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Kathmandu month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January16.0°5.9°56 mm510.4 h23.8° (2023)−3.3° (1945)
February18.2°7.4°52 mm611.1 h26.0° (2006)0.2° (1989)
March22.1°10.3°64 mm711.8 h30.8° (1986)1.2° (1940)
April25.7°13.5°82 mm1012.7 h33.1° (1964)6.8° (1990)
May26.5°16.8°183 mm1913.4 h35.7° (1957)9.9° (1987)
June26.5°19.8°500 mm2713.7 h34.3° (1964)14.7° (1999)
July25.9°20.7°777 mm3113.6 h30.9° (2025)17.8° (1989)
August26.0°20.6°633 mm3113.0 h31.4° (2019)17.5° (1950)
September25.6°19.3°364 mm2712.2 h31.7° (2024)12.9° (1966)
October23.5°15.2°126 mm1211.3 h30.2° (2021)8.5° (1997)
November20.2°11.0°37 mm410.6 h26.3° (2020)4.4° (1948)
December17.3°7.5°28 mm310.3 h24.5° (1972)0.9° (1989)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +1.6°C.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.20°C per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Jun–Aug is warming fastest: +0.25°C per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 30°C per year: 1.7 early in the record → 7.0 recently. Frost days: 0 → 0.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 1957, all-time low in 1945: 35.7°C / −3.3°C.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~2,902 mm/year on average. Last decade: +7% vs that average. Long-term trend: −13 mm per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Kathmandu

Which is the warmest month in Kathmandu?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Kathmandu is July (mean daily temperature of about 23.0°C) and the coolest is January (about 10.8°C).
How does today's temperature in Kathmandu compare to the historical average?
On October 12, 2026, Kathmandu is forecast to reach a high of 25.3°C and a low of 14.6°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 24.1°C and a low of 15.9°C, so today's high is 1.2°C warmer than that average.
How much has Kathmandu warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Kathmandu is about 1.6°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Kathmandu?
Kathmandu receives about 2,902 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with July typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Kathmandu?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Kathmandu is about 18.3°C. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Kathmandu by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Kathmandu (°C, full record since 1940): January 16°/6°, February 18°/7°, March 22°/10°, April 26°/14°, May 26°/17°, June 27°/20°, July 26°/21°, August 26°/21°, September 26°/19°, October 24°/15°, November 20°/11°, December 17°/7°.
What is the weather like in Kathmandu in summer?
Summer in Kathmandu (June to August) is wet and warm. Afternoons run 26–27°C and nights 20–21°C; June is the warmest month. Rain falls on about 29 days a month, adding up to around 637 mm. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Kathmandu in winter?
In winter, December through February, Kathmandu is fairly mild. Expect 16–18°C by day and 6–7°C at night, with January the coldest month. Rain picks up through the season: 3 rainy days and 28 mm in December, 6 days and 52 mm in February. It is the driest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Kathmandu in spring?
Spring in Kathmandu (March to May) is wet and pleasantly warm. March is still 22°C in the afternoon and 10°C at night, May already 26°C and 17°C. Rain rises from 64 mm on 7 days in March to 183 mm on 19 days in May.
What is the weather like in Kathmandu in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, Kathmandu is wet and pleasantly warm. September is still 26°C by day and 19°C at night; by November it is down to 20°C and 11°C. Rain eases through the season: 27 rainy days and 364 mm in September, 4 days and 37 mm in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Kathmandu?
On long-term average, Kathmandu has about 182 days a year with at least 2 mm of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 2,902 mm.

Weather in nearby cities