Nepal weather is directly dependent on the geographical terrains in Nepal. There are several geographical terrains in Nepal; the fertile, warm and crowded terai, the mildly cold hills and valleys and sparsely populated shivering mountains. Terai’s are the only true flat land in the country and extends 800km east to west and only around 30 – 40 km on the north. The terai only extends as far as the chure hill on the north which rises to 1000m in height and marks the beginning of the hills or the Mahabharat range. The hills rise immediately from the chure hills and have elevation ranging from 1500m – 2700 m. Finally the mountain region which is very cold and homes of the Himalayas is a very cold region in Nepal. The mountains range from 3000 – 5000m and in this altitude there is no permanent settlement. You will only find yak herders in their small hut who as well relocate in the warmer villages in lower altitude.
The climate is changing very rapidly in Nepal and weather is heavily affected by it and very recently it has come to the attention of the locals as well as authorities. There are 4 seasons in Nepal and they are spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Spring (March – May): It is warm in these seasons but often followed by heavy rainfall on the lower lands and heavy snow and blizzards on the high altitudes. The Rhododendron starts blanketing the southern ridges after the first rainfall in March, whereas the view gets ambiguous. By April – May the blossoms of Rhododendron and others is very evident and chances of spotting migratory birds are on the high.
Summer (June – August): Summers in the lower Terai and hills are very hot which is accompanied by heavy rainfall almost on everyday basis. Often rainfall is chased by lightning and thunder but nevertheless this is the reason behind lush green vegetation and everlasting waterfall from every corner of the hills.
Autumn (September – November): This is one of the best seasons for trekking in Nepal and the entire country enjoys much needed cold temperatures. This season in the year has relatively clear skies, very good for taking photograph. The temperature falls below 0 above 4000m and there are slight chances of heavy rainfall on the lower ground and storms on the higher.
Winter (December – February): The best skies every can be witnessed in these months. The temperature above 4000 meters go below -5 and people dwelling on the higher ground in the summer migrate to warmer lower region. This is as well a very good trekking season for Nepalese Himalayas.
There are 3 popular season for trekking in Nepal and they are spring, autumn and winter and it is very difficult to predict when exactly one season ends or begins due to changing weather pattern. Although the basics of the weather pattern are mentioned above, it is advised to be updated with current weather patterns or communicate with us before planning the trip.
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
High °C | 17 | 19 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 18 |
Low °C | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 4 |
High °F | 63 | 66 | 75 | 82 | 84 | 84 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 77 | 72 | 64 |
Low °F | 36 | 39 | 46 | 54 | 59 | 63 | 64 | 64 | 63 | 57 | 48 | 39 |