Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, sits on the Chota Nagpur plateau in eastern India at around 650 metres above sea level, at approximately 23.34°N, 85.31°E. Its considerable elevation tempers the tropical heat to give a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) — with pleasantly mild summers by Indian standards, a heavy monsoon and cool, dry winters.

Summer, from March to May, is warm rather than searing, with May the hottest month — highs around 37–38°C — noticeably cooler than the plains below thanks to the plateau altitude, and nights are comfortable. The monsoon then arrives in mid-June and runs to September, bringing abundant rain, thick cloud and a marked drop in temperature over the green plateau.

Winter, from November to February, is cool, dry and sunny, with December and January the coolest — highs around 23–24°C and cool nights near 8–10°C, occasionally dropping close to 5°C on the plateau. Skies are clear and the air crisp; this mild, dry stretch is comfortably the best time of year.

Ranchi receives around 1,400–1,500 mm of rain a year, almost all of it delivered by the southwest monsoon between June and September; the Chota Nagpur plateau, where the two branches of the monsoon intermittently collide, receives fairly high totals, with some areas exceeding 1,520 mm. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Ranchi's elevation on the Chota Nagpur plateau gives it a distinctly milder climate than the sweltering Gangetic plain below — cool winter nights and summers that rarely reach the extremes of Patna or Kolkata — which is why the British made it a summer retreat and why it remains known for its waterfalls, at their most spectacular after the monsoon.

To follow any single measurement in Ranchi more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.