SPRING INTO SUMMER

It is time... time for us to begin a more decisive transition into the warmer seasons of spring and summer here along the outer slopes of the Dhauladhars in Himachal Pradesh.

Normally we begin to see temperatures flirting with 70ºF/21ºC by the latter half of March, and then often we see our first 80ºF/26ºC temps by the middle of April.  It is usually a slow and rather arduous process, with plenty of backward steps as we move into a more summertime weather scenario, but it always eventually comes.  Patience required.

Temperatures don't usually rise much above 90ºF/32ºC here in the immediate McLeod Ganj area -- but during most years we reach that level for maybe just two or three days, sometime between about the 20th of May and the 15th of June.  That is our window of opportunity to struggle a bit with the truly HOT weather that is firmly entrenched across the plains of north India in advance of the monsoon season.

March can be a rather wet month, but on average, April is the second-driest month of the year around here.  Of course there can be exceptions, but normally April is characterized by steadily rising temps and infrequent bouts of showers and/or thundershowers, mainly during the afternoon hours.  May is normally one of our drier months as well, though I have to say... I have seen some very intense periods of thunderstorms and hail during May, which can restrict the encroaching summer heat for days at a time.

Bottom line... Himalayan weather is always changeable and doesn't like being confined to 'averages' and supposed 'normals'.!!  Each and every year there are surprises...