It’s really hot. I know
that sounds pretty good to most of you in Minnesota where you cannot seem to
shake winter and the snow keeps popping up like a difficult game of whack-a-mole,
but trust me, you are better off cold. Right
now we are in the middle of summer which marks a three month period where the temperature
hovers just above 100 degrees for the day and dips down to about 80 at night. It is more manageable than the hottest of
Minnesota summer days due to the lower humidity, but it is certainly unpleasant and
hot enough that you sweat just being outside.
I unconsciously have begun drinking several liters of water each day simply
to survive. Though I am not one to
appreciate high temperatures, it seems like no one enjoys this time of year and
Indians are equally unhappy. Activity
outside has visibly decreased due to the heat and people go out earlier or wait
until the sun sets to leave the house.
Summer lasts until right after I leave, and then temperatures drop as
the rainy season sets in. To be honest I
am less than thrilled to go directly from India’s hottest to Minnesota’s
hottest when I miss my cold weather so much.
I’m sure all the ultimate frisbee, swimming, and barbeques will make up for it.
Now that I think about it I do not believe I ever blogged about weather
in India. The strangest part of the
weather here is how astonishingly predictable it is. For June, July, and August it will rain once
or twice a day and the weather will be cooler.
The rains stop in September and the temperature remains about the same
through November. December, January, and
February constitute the coldest time of year, a “winter” of sorts, with nights
in the high 50s and days up to low 70s.
March and April are a transition into the much hotter summer weather of
May and early June and temperatures are high all the time. When I say the rain stops in September, I don’t
mean less rain. I mean none. Zero precipitation from September through the
beginning of June. That’s almost nine
months with rain, snow, or anything else to create moisture in the ground. To be honest, I’m not sure how fruit manages
to grow here, or any plant for that matter.
The other extremely strange part of the weather is that it does not
change from day to day. When I look at
the forecast on my iPod, the highs and lows change by maybe a degree or two a
day. Ever. In fact, it is so consistent that weather is
never featured in the news and only gets a 1”x1” section in the paper.
Though the heat is definitely putting a damper on my final weeks
in India, I am lucky enough to be spending the next two hiking in the Himalayas
where the temperatures are a little cooler.
I cannot wait to cool off and experience another unique and beautiful
piece of India!
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