Climate zones in India, 1991 to 2020
Share of India's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 4,005,090 map cells used cover 100% of the country's outline (about 3,153,111 km²).
By major group: A (tropical) 38%, C (temperate) 32%, B (arid) 26%, E (polar) 3.2%, D (cold (continental)) 1.7%.
India has no single dominant climate. The biggest zone, Aw (tropical savannah), covers only 34% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, followed by Cwa (29%) and BSh (20%). 7 zones each cover 1% or more of it. In plain terms, tropical savannah means hot all year, with a clear dry season. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 28% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to Aw (tropical savannah).
How India's zones have changed and may change
Each row compares a map with 1991 to 2020. "Share in a different zone" is the share of the country's area whose class is different from 1991 to 2020. Future rows are model projections under an emissions scenario, not forecasts.
| Map | Share in a different zone | Different major group | Biggest gain | Biggest loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 to 1930 (past) | 11% | 8.8% | Aw +5.6 percentage points | BSh -2.5 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 19% | 17% | Aw +11.5 percentage points | Cwa -9.3 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 28% | 24% | Aw +18.5 percentage points | Cwa -15.4 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 40% | 35% | Aw +28.2 percentage points | Cwa -23.7 percentage points |
For the past row, the comparison runs the other way: the 1901 to 1930 map against 1991 to 2020.
Zone shares by map
| Zone | 1901 to 1930 | 1991 to 2020 | SSP1-2.6 (2071 to 2099) | SSP2-4.5 (2071 to 2099) | SSP5-8.5 (2071 to 2099) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aw Tropical savannah | 28% | 34% | 45% | 53% | 62% |
| Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter | 32% | 29% | 20% | 14% | 5.6% |
| BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | 22% | 20% | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| BWh Hot desert | 6.8% | 6% | 5.1% | 4.7% | 4.5% |
| Am Tropical monsoon | 3.3% | 3.5% | 6.1% | 6.5% | 7.9% |
| ET Tundra | 3.1% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 1.4% |
| Cwb Subtropical highland (dry winter) | 2.1% | 2% | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.2% |
| Dwb Warm-summer continental with dry winter | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Dfb Warm-summer humid continental | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Dfc Subarctic (boreal) | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Dwc Subarctic with dry winter | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Cfa Humid subtropical | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Dsc Subarctic with dry summer | 0.2% | 0.2% | - | - | - |
| BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| BWk Cold desert | 0.1% | 0.1% | - | - | - |
| Cfb Temperate oceanic | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | 0.1% | - | - | - | - |
| Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer | 0.1% | - | - | - | - |
| EF Ice cap (frost) | 0.1% | - | - | - | - |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Cities in India and their climate zones
| City | 1991 to 2020 | 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | Am Tropical monsoon | Am Tropical monsoon |
| Delhi | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Bengaluru | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Hyderabad | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Ahmedabad | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Chennai | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Kolkata | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Surat | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Pune | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Jaipur | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Kanpur | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Navi Mumbai | Am Tropical monsoon | Am Tropical monsoon |
| Lucknow | Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter | Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter |
| Nagpur | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Coimbatore | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Indore | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Thāne | Am Tropical monsoon | Am Tropical monsoon |
| Vadodara | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Bhopal | Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Rasapūdipalem | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Pimpri-Chinchwad | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Patna | Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Kallakurichi | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Ludhiana | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Nashik | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Madurai | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Tirunelveli | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Agra | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Faridabad | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Rājkot | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Najafgarh | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) |
| Jamshedpur | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Pimpri | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Kalyān | Am Tropical monsoon | Am Tropical monsoon |
| Dombivali | Am Tropical monsoon | Am Tropical monsoon |
| Meerut | Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter | Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter |
| Virār | Aw Tropical savannah | Am Tropical monsoon |
| Nowrangapur | Aw Tropical savannah | Aw Tropical savannah |
| Srinagar | Cfa Humid subtropical | Cfa Humid subtropical |
| Ghāziābād | BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter |
The 40 largest of 91 cities with a page are shown.
Zones found in India
- Aw Tropical savannah
- Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter
- BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe)
- BWh Hot desert
- Am Tropical monsoon
- ET Tundra
- Cwb Subtropical highland (dry winter)
- Dwb Warm-summer continental with dry winter
- Dfb Warm-summer humid continental
- Dfc Subarctic (boreal)
- Dwc Subarctic with dry winter
- Cfa Humid subtropical
- Dsc Subarctic with dry summer
- BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe)
- BWk Cold desert
- Cfb Temperate oceanic
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was Cwa. See data sources and licences.