Weather in Kolkata in May

The month to avoid. Of the twelve, May is the one to avoid. Daytime highs average 37.5 °C and the afternoon is not negotiable — outdoor plans move to early morning or evening.

May ranks 12 of 12 — near the bottom of Kolkata's year. December is the month that works, and the swing between the two is 78 points, which is a different holiday rather than a slightly better one.

Rain on 17 days, 4 of them heavy. Enough to need a plan B, not enough to need a plan around it. Pack for heat management rather than style: shade, water, and a schedule that gives up on the middle of the day.

What the averages hide

Averages flatten a month, and this one hides a few things: 25 days of the month clear 35 °C — that is not a heatwave, it is the month. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest May day reached 46.8 °C and the coldest night fell to 23.4 °C, and the wettest single day dropped 137 mm — roughly 95% of the month's rain in one day.

May is moderately variable: 52 mm in the driest year against 298 mm in the wettest, around an average of 144 mm. Roughly two Mays in three land near that average, and the third does something else entirely.

Wind is light at 10.8 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and humidity is unremarkable at 67%.

How May sits in the year

Temperatures hold steady either side: 38.9 °C in April, 37.5 here, 33.6 in June. Nothing about the timing within the month matters much. Rain is the thing that moves: June brings 6 days more of it, so the earlier half of a flexible trip is the safer half.

Daylight in May

May is at or near the longest days of Kolkata's year: 13.2 hours of daylight, gaining 0.4 hours across the month. Evenings are the real gain — dinner outdoors still happens in full light.

An inland climate

With no coast nearby, the year swings a fair way — 28.3 °C between the warmest afternoons and the coldest nights, wider than any coastal city at this latitude would manage.

How busy it gets

Off season. The genuine off season: cheapest by a distance, with the caveat that some tours and restaurants close entirely.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

May in Kolkata versus nearby

If Kolkata is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Jamshedpur is close enough to be a coin toss — 3.2 °C warmer, 2 days less rain. Ranchi is a better bet in May — within a degree on temperature, 7 days less rain.

So: May is a compromise. December is 78 points better and is what Kolkata is actually like at its best — worth moving the trip for if that is possible, and worth adjusting expectations for if it is not.

Every month in Kolkata

See all twelve months in Kolkata, or where else to go in May.