Chitwan
National Park - Climate
The Chitwan National Park has a tropical monsoon
climate, with height humidity all through the
year, and three main seasons.
Summer
March to early June are the traditional hot months,
with temperatures rising progressively to a peak
in May. During April, despite the heat of the
day the nights can be quite cold. South - westerly
winds prevail, and relative humidity is lowest
in March.
Monsoon
Towards the end of May the pre-monsoon storms
set in. Dark clouds mass in the afternoons, with
thunder and lightning and high winds. If rain
falls, it comes in late afternoon showers lasting
perhaps only fifteen to twenty minutes. As May
changes into June the showers come with increasing
frequency.
When the monsoon proper begins,
around the middle of June, it is another story.
From then until late September the moisture-laden
south-easterly winds weeping up from the Bay of
Bengal bring heavy rain, and of the annual total
of some 80 inches, more than 80 per cent falls
in these three months.
Precipitation is not normally continuous,
and often, in any monsoon month, there are as
many dry days as wet ones. During the monsoon
humidity is extremely high.
Winter
Winter lasts from October to the end of February.
The northerly winds are cool, coming down from
the mountains, and this is the best time of the
year to see the Great Himalayan Range, the air
being particularly clear in November.
January is the coldest month,
with temperatures falling almost to freezing-point,
especially when it rains. From late November the
relative humidity touches 100 percent in the mornings,
and so there is dewfall during December and January
nights and sometimes when you hear the drips pouring
off the trees in the morning, it is often mistaken
for rain. After an especially cold morning it
is hard to believe that the temperature will rise
to 20-25 Celsius in the afternoon. |
