The three parts of the year
- November to February: cool mornings. A normal day goes from 16 to 18°C at dawn up to 27 to 31°C in the afternoon. Wear a T-shirt or a cotton shirt, and add a thin layer until mid-morning and again after dark.
- March to May: hot afternoons. The normal high is 33 to 34°C. One thin layer of cotton or linen is enough, day and night. Storms start in April, so carry an umbrella.
- June to October: rain. Highs are 28 to 30°C and lows about 20°C, with rain on 7 to 10 days a month. Wear thin clothes that dry fast, and shoes that can get wet.
One travel guide tells you to bring woolen shawls, mufflers and warm jackets for a Bangalore winter. That is more than you need. From 2012 to 2021, the coldest morning of each January was between 12.0°C and 15.4°C.
Bangalore's weather in numbers
These are the normal low and high for each month, and the normal rain, from India's weather office. They cover the years 1991 to 2020.
| Month | Low and high | Rain |
|---|---|---|
| January | 16.1°C to 28.4°C | 1.6 mm, almost no rainy days |
| February | 17.6°C to 30.9°C | 7.1 mm, almost no rainy days |
| March | 20.2°C to 33.4°C | 14.7 mm, 1 day |
| April | 22.1°C to 34.1°C | 61.7 mm, 4 days |
| May | 21.8°C to 33.1°C | 128.7 mm, 7 to 8 days |
| June | 20.6°C to 29.7°C | 110.3 mm, 7 days |
| July | 20.1°C to 28.3°C | 116.4 mm, 8 days |
| August | 20.0°C to 28.1°C | 162.7 mm, 10 days |
| September | 20.0°C to 28.6°C | 208.3 mm, 9 to 10 days |
| October | 19.8°C to 28.5°C | 186.4 mm, 9 to 10 days |
| November | 18.3°C to 27.4°C | 64.5 mm, 4 days |
| December | 16.4°C to 26.9°C | 15.4 mm, 1 day |
A normal number is an average, and real days go past it. From 2012 to 2021, the hottest April afternoon of each year was between 34.9°C and 39.2°C. Rain changes even more from year to year. October brought 11.5 mm in 2016 and 385.7 mm in 2017. So use this table to pack, and the forecast to dress.
Do you need a sweater or a jacket?
You need a thin one, from November to February, if you are out early or late. The morning and the afternoon of a January day here are two rows apart on our chart of what to wear at each temperature. At 16°C the chart says a long-sleeved top with one layer over it. At 28°C it says a T-shirt or a thin shirt and nothing else.
So the layer has to be one you can carry. A denim jacket, a cotton hoodie, a cardigan or a thin shawl all work. A thick sweater does not, because by noon you will be holding it, and it will not fit in your bag.
How much you feel it depends on where you come from. The normal January low in New Delhi is 7.5°C, so someone from Delhi may be fine in a T-shirt at 8 am. Someone from Chennai or Mumbai, used to warm mornings, will want the layer.
If you ride a scooter or a motorbike in the morning, wear the layer anyway, and make it one that stops wind. The ride is colder than the number on your phone.
What to wear in the rain months
Rain starts to build in April and stays until November. September and October are the wettest months, and thunder is most common in May, on about 11 days in a normal May.
- An umbrella in your bag every day. A small one is enough if you walk or take a cab. If you ride, keep a rain jacket and rain pants under the seat.
- Shoes that can get wet. Sneakers take a long time to dry. Sandals with a good grip are better on a day that looks wet. Keep dry shoes at work if you can.
- Dark colors on your legs. Splashes show on pale pants. Pants that stop above the ankle stay out of the water.
- A spare T-shirt at your desk. Wet clothes feel cold once you sit under the air conditioning.
Our guide to the Mumbai monsoon has more on fabrics and shoes for rain.
At work, on a night out, at a temple
At the office. Offices here differ a lot. A startup may be happy with jeans and a T-shirt, and a bank or a client meeting will not be. In your first week, dress one step up and look around. Air conditioning can make the room colder than the street, so keep your layer at your desk. Our guide to office dress codes explains the four common dress codes, and office wear in India deals with the heat and the cold rooms.
A night out. Smart casual is the safe choice. TravelTriangle's guide says "few of the posh nightclubs have a dress code", so wear closed shoes or smart sandals, and call ahead if you are not sure.
A temple. In January 2024, The Tribune reported that temples in Bengaluru would allow entry "only in Indian traditional attire". It listed what was barred: shorts, bermuda shorts, torn jeans and T-shirts that show the chest for men, and shorts, midi-length clothes and torn jeans for women. It did not say whether this covers every temple. A kurta or a saree is the safe choice, with shoes that come off easily. See our guide to temple dress codes in India.
Nandi Hills at sunrise. This is the one trip where you need more. Karnataka Tourism puts the hill at 1,478 meters, suggests arriving around 6 am for sunrise, and says the temperature usually ranges between 10°C and 25°C from September to February. At that hour, wear a sweater with a jacket over it and closed shoes, even if you wore a T-shirt in the city the day before.
What to pack
For a week between November and February:
- five T-shirts, shirts or kurtas (a kurta is a long tunic),
- two pairs of thin pants or jeans,
- one thin layer you can carry, such as a denim jacket or a cardigan,
- sneakers for walking, and smart shoes or sandals for the evening,
- sunglasses and sunscreen,
- a sweater and a jacket only if you plan to go to Nandi Hills at dawn.
Between April and November, add a small umbrella and swap one pair of shoes for sandals with a good grip.
If you are moving here
You can leave most of your winter clothes behind. One thin sweater and one jacket will cover the whole year in the city. Keep heavy clothes only for trips north in winter, and our packing guide for a cold trip tells you what those are. If you ride, bring or buy a rain jacket before April.
If you live here
Ukti is our app. It shows the weather where you are and picks one outfit a day for it from your own clothes. Sharing your location is optional, and you can tell it that you feel warmer or colder than the forecast. For a day that is not like the others, you can tell its stylist what is happening, and it makes an outfit for that.
Where the facts come from, read on 2 November 2026. Monthly lows, highs, rain, rainy days and thunder: the India Meteorological Department's climate table for Bengaluru, 1991 to 2020, printed on its February file and its October file. The coldest January mornings and hottest April afternoons: the department's city pages for January and April. October rain by year: the October file above. New Delhi's January low: the department's climate table for New Delhi (Safdarjung), 1991 to 2020. The list of woolens and the line on nightclubs: TravelTriangle's Bangalore tips, updated June 2024. The temple rule: The Tribune, 10 January 2024. Nandi Hills: Karnataka Tourism. The rest of this page is general advice.
