Været i Delhi (New Delhi) i november

I’ve been in Delhi in November and it is horrific. The role of stubble burning is massive.

Regulars separate two things travellers usually confuse. The winter fog, which disrupts flights and road trips, normally clears by the start or middle of February. The air pollution does not: it is there all year, worst in December and January, easing as the month warms, and visible or not depending on the day. Our AQI of 150 is what the easing looks like: an improvement rather than clean air. The weather itself is the easy part - 25.7C by day over 10.4C nights, 28.5mm of rain across 2.4 days, and mornings cold enough for a jacket. Several regulars travel with a mask and say they are easy to buy on arrival. The record: humidity 67 percent and 9.8 hours of sun.

Delhi-forum threads on June weather confirm this is genuinely the hardest stretch of the year to be outdoors, temperatures regularly pushing past 40C in the pre-monsoon build-up, the proper monsoon itself not arriving until well into July. Posters describe the heat as furnace-like by early afternoon, and the standing advice is to lock sightseeing into the very early morning or after sunset, avoiding the roughly noon-to-4pm window entirely. Loose cotton clothing, a hat, sunglasses and constant water are called essential. A handful of scattered afternoon storms do roll through as the month progresses, offering brief relief before the heat rebuilds within a day. Regulars are blunt that June rewards flexible, air-conditioned plans far more than ambitious walking itineraries. The record: a scorching 39.3C by day feeling like a punishing 44C, 27.1C nights, 54 percent humidity, 11.6 hours of sun and an unhealthy 139 AQI.

Delhi forum regulars call May the peak of the heat, harder than April: “temperatures can touch up to 48 degrees Celsius,” typical daytime readings “45-47 degrees,” and very hot and dry (not humid) — the dry heat wave locally called “Loo” intensifying through May and June. The survival plan is the same one regulars repeat every summer month: sightsee early morning, retreat to an air-conditioned hotel or taxi through the afternoon, and only venture out again after 5pm when the heat starts easing. The consolation prize: genuine off-season hotel deals and thin crowds at sites that are packed October through February. For anyone with flexibility, regulars point toward Kashmir, Leh, Ladakh, Shimla or Manali instead — cooler mountain alternatives for the same dates. Our record: 37.3°C days, 23.6°C nights, 47.7% humidity and an AQI of 146 — properly extreme dry heat, matching the “worse than April, dry not humid” read.

Delhi forum regulars answer “is April unbearably hot” mostly with yes, but a manageable one: “expect 35-40°C,” some posters reporting “38 to 42 degrees,” though the heat is “hot but less humid compared to May and June.” The standard survival plan is specific — avoid sightseeing 12-4pm entirely, front-load activities into early morning and evening, hire an AC car, keep a hotel with reliable AC, and cover skin with loose clothing and a wide-brimmed hat rather than fight the sun directly. The consolation regulars offer: April is genuinely low season, so hotel rates drop and crowds thin at the sites that stay busy October through February. Our record: 35.7°C days, 19.8°C nights, 3.4 rain days and an AQI of 118 — properly hot and dry, matching the “unbearably hot but doable with a plan” read.