At a glance
- The 50 cm isohyet splits the state: arid and semi-arid desert lies to its west, while the Aravalli and the east get 50–100 cm a year.
- Papers ask the order of districts by rainfall: the IMD June–September normal falls from Pratapgarh (914.2 mm) in the south to Jaisalmer (176.9 mm) in the west.
- Largest agro-climatic zone by area: the Hyper Arid Partial Irrigated Zone.
- Every rainfall figure depends on its base period; learn the period with the figure.
Seasons
| Season | Months | Temperature | Rain and other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | March to mid-June | Mostly 30–36 °C; daytime highs up to 49 °C | Nights pleasant; low humidity |
| Rainy season | Mid-June to September | Most of the year's rain comes in these months | |
| Winter | October to February | January: below 10 °C in the north, about 20 °C in Hadoti, 10–20 °C elsewhere | Two parts: sharad (monsoon withdrawal, October to mid-December, sultry), then dry winter (mid-December to February) |
Rainfall pattern
Rain falls unevenly: it decreases from east to west and from south to north, and droughts and famines are frequent. The RBSE Class 11 book gives the state's annual average as 52.37 cm; the state's climate change action plan (2014) gives 530 mm.
Why the monsoon brings little rain: the Aravalli runs parallel to the Arabian Sea branch, so those winds pass north without rain; the Bay of Bengal winds have lost most of their moisture by the time they reach the state; and the Aravalli is low, with little vegetation. In the south, higher ground and dense vegetation bring more than 100 cm a year.
IMD Jaipur's June–September normal for the whole state is 435.6 mm (1971–2020 baseline): 626.6 mm for East Rajasthan and 283.6 mm for West Rajasthan. An older IMD Jaipur report gives 415 mm (1951–2000 baseline).
District-wise monsoon rainfall
IMD Jaipur's June–September normals (long period average, 1971–2020), highest first. IMD still reports by the 33 districts before 2023.
| District | IMD sub-division | June–September normal (mm) |
|---|---|---|
| Pratapgarh | East Rajasthan | 914.2 |
| Banswara | East Rajasthan | 886 |
| Jhalawar | East Rajasthan | 884.3 |
| Sirohi | East Rajasthan | 873 |
| Baran | East Rajasthan | 832 |
| Kota | East Rajasthan | 732.2 |
| Chittorgarh | East Rajasthan | 727.2 |
| Dungarpur | East Rajasthan | 706.5 |
| Sawai Madhopur | East Rajasthan | 661.5 |
| Bundi | East Rajasthan | 644.4 |
| Udaipur | East Rajasthan | 617.7 |
| Bhilwara | East Rajasthan | 604.5 |
| Karauli | East Rajasthan | 595.8 |
| Dausa | East Rajasthan | 594.5 |
| Dholpur | East Rajasthan | 584.1 |
| Tonk | East Rajasthan | 566.8 |
| Alwar | East Rajasthan | 545.9 |
| Bharatpur | East Rajasthan | 543.3 |
| Rajsamand | East Rajasthan | 538.1 |
| Jaipur | East Rajasthan | 524.3 |
| Pali | West Rajasthan | 491.6 |
| Ajmer | East Rajasthan | 458.3 |
| Jalore | West Rajasthan | 417.8 |
| Jhunjhunu | East Rajasthan | 408.8 |
| Sikar | East Rajasthan | 407.1 |
| Nagaur | West Rajasthan | 369.5 |
| Churu | West Rajasthan | 334 |
| Jodhpur | West Rajasthan | 292.6 |
| Barmer | West Rajasthan | 272.7 |
| Hanumangarh | West Rajasthan | 253.6 |
| Bikaner | West Rajasthan | 247 |
| Sri Ganganagar | West Rajasthan | 204.7 |
| Jaisalmer | West Rajasthan | 176.9 |
Temperature records
| Highest in India | 51.0 °C at Phalodi (then Jodhpur district, now Phalodi district) on 19 May 2016 |
|---|---|
| Jaipur | Highest 48.5 °C (6 May 1980); lowest −2.2 °C (16 January 1964 and 31 January 1905), IMD records to 2011 |
Loo, andhi and mawath
| Name | Meaning | Where and when |
|---|---|---|
| Loo | Hot, dry, fierce summer wind | March–May; at Jaipur it often brings daytime work to a stop |
| Andhi | Dust storm | Common in summer in the sandy arid west; at Jaipur most frequent in May, and the temperature drops about 5–7 °C after one |
| Mawath (mawat) | Light winter rain from western disturbances (temperate cyclones from the west), two or three times in December–January; a boon for rabi crops | Jaipur's normal winter rain is 21.2 mm, 3.4% of its annual rainfall |
Monsoon onset and withdrawal
| Event | Normal date |
|---|---|
| Onset over Kerala | 1 June |
| Onset over Rajasthan | 18 June (IMD); the RBSE Class 11 book says the last week of June or early July |
| Monsoon covers the whole state | 8 July |
| Withdrawal begins from West Rajasthan | 17 September |
| Withdrawal from the whole state | 30 September |
In 2025 the monsoon reached Rajasthan on 18 June, covered the whole state on 29 June, began to withdraw from West Rajasthan on 14 September and left the whole state on 26 September.
Climate type and climatic regions
Rajasthan's climate is of the dry to sub-humid monsoon type. IMD Jaipur puts the greater part of the state under hot desert and the rest under hot semi-arid.
By temperature and rainfall, the RBSE Class 11 book divides the state into four climatic regions:
| Region | Annual rain | Temperature | Districts named in the book (2018 districts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arid (desert) | Under 25 cm | Summer maximum 45–49 °C; winter minimum 8 °C down to 0 °C | Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bikaner |
| Semi-arid | 25–45 cm | Summer 36–42 °C; winter 10–17 °C | Between the arid region and the Aravalli |
| Humid | 50–75 cm | Summer 32–34 °C; winter 12–18 °C | Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Bundi, Rajsamand, north of Chittorgarh |
| Very humid | Over 75 cm | Kota, Baran, Jhalawar, Banswara, Dungarpur, Sirohi, Udaipur, south of Chittorgarh |
Agro-climatic zones
Rajasthan has 10 agro-climatic zones, drawn under ICAR's National Agricultural Research Project (NARP), which began in the state in 1981, on the basis of physiography, rainfall, soil, irrigation water and cropping pattern. Zone names, areas and rainfall below are from the Rajasthan Agriculture Department; the districts are as IMD Jaipur's agromet bulletin lists them, so some districts fall in two zones. Neither list names Rajsamand.
Research stations give other rainfall ranges for two zones: 300–350 mm for IIA (ARS Fatehpur) and 500–600 mm for IIIA (RARI Durgapura).
Areas: the largest zone is IC (about 7.70 million ha) and the smallest is IVB (1.72 million ha). The research stations give IIA as about 36.9 lakh ha (10.6% of the state) and IIIA as about 2.97 million ha (8.67%; 2.96 in the Agriculture Department's table).
| Zone | Area (million ha) | Rainfall (mm) | Districts (before 2023) |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA Arid Western Plain (also Arid Northwestern Sandy Plain) | 4.74 | 200–370 | Barmer, part of Jodhpur |
| IB Irrigated North Western Plain | 2.10 | 100–350 | Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh |
| IC Hyper Arid Partial Irrigated Zone | 7.70 | 100–350 | Bikaner, Jaisalmer, parts of Churu |
| IIA Internal Drainage Dry Zone (also Transitional Plain of Inland Drainage) | 3.69 | 300–500 | Nagaur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, part of Churu |
| IIB Transitional Plain of Luni Basin (also Alluvial Plain of Luni Basin) | 3.00 | 300–500 | Jalore, Pali, part of Sirohi, Jodhpur |
| IIIA Semi Arid Eastern Plain | 2.96 | 500–700 | Jaipur, Ajmer, Dausa, Tonk |
| IIIB Flood Prone Eastern Plain | 2.77 | 500–700 | Alwar, Dholpur, Bharatpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur |
| IVA Sub Humid Southern Plain | 3.36 | 500–900 | Bhilwara, Sirohi, Udaipur, Chittorgarh |
| IVB Humid Southern Plain | 1.72 | 500–1100 | Dungarpur, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh |
| V Humid South Eastern Plain | 2.70 | 650–1000 | Kota, Jhalawar, Bundi, Baran |
Remember: often mixed up
- Loo, andhi, mawathloo is the hot dry summer wind · andhi is the summer dust storm · mawath is light winter rain from western disturbances
- Two schemesfour climatic regions (RBSE, by temperature and rainfall: arid, semi-arid, humid, very humid) · ten agro-climatic zones (NARP, for farming); do not mix their names
- Zone namesthe Agriculture Department and IMD call IA 'Arid Western Plain', IIA 'Internal Drainage Dry Zone' and IIB 'Transitional Plain of Luni Basin'; the 2025 draft Agroforestry Policy calls them Arid Northwestern Sandy Plain, Transitional Plain of Inland Drainage and Alluvial Plain of Luni Basin
Test yourself: asked in exams
CET Graduation Level 2022 · Q54
Which is the largest agro – climatic region of Rajasthan?
- (1)Arid western plains
- (2)Hyper arid partial irrigated zone
- (3)Internal drainage dry zone
- (4)Sub humid southern plains
Show answer
✓ (2) Hyper arid partial irrigated zone
See the full paperProtection Officer 2022 · Q38
Which of the following is correctly arranged in descending order in terms of average annual rainfall ?
- (1)Bharatpur, Ganganagar, Jaipur, Jodhpur
- (2)Udaipur, Bikaner, Pali, Jaisalmer
- (3)Bharatpur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Ganganagar
- (4)Udaipur, Pali, Bikaner, Jaisalmer
Show answer
✓ (4) Udaipur, Pali, Bikaner, Jaisalmer
See the full paperRAS Prelims 2023 · Q3
Which of the following group of districts are correctly arranged in descending order as per the amount of monsoon rainfall they receive ?
- (1)Dholpur, Rajsamand, Jalore
- (2)Bhilwara, Baran, Sikar
- (3)Rajsamand, Jalore, Dholpur
- (4)Pali, Jaipur, Bharatpur
Show answer
✓ (1) Dholpur, Rajsamand, Jalore
See the full paperRAS Prelims 2024 · Q3
Which of the following group of districts of Rajasthan is correctly arranged in ascending order as per average rainfall during South-West Monsoon ?
- (1)Jalore, Jaipur, Kota
- (2)Jaisalmer, Banswara, Rajsamand
- (3)Nagaur, Dhaulpur, Ajmer
- (4)Churu, Baran, Bhilwara
Show answer
✓ (1) Jalore, Jaipur, Kota
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