Climate

Temperature in Summer : 32.2 deg c.  (March to June)
Temperature in Winter : 17.4 deg c  (October to February)
Average Annual Rainfall : 623 cm   (250 In)

From early October to June the climate is bracing and healthy ; suiting most constitutions except those suffering from such chronic complaints as liver or heart disease. Some rain usually falls in October and the place is a little damp and the evenings misty ; the average mean temperature is 19.3 C. In November, December and January the climate is dry with occasionally strong easterly winds cold enough to make a fire in the evening almost necessary ; the  average mean temperature of these months is 17.4 C and the cold season ends about the middle of the month. The hottest time of the year is generally from about the 12th March to the middle of April, when, during the day, the temperature rises to a little over 32.2 C. About 20th April the wind changes to the west, and cool moist, and invigorating sea breezes set in and gather strength as the season passes. In May there are occasional showers and thunderstorms; the air grows moister and clouds and mist often fill the valleys. On most hot weather mornings the hill sides are covered with white clouds which completely veil the Konkan, but these disappear as the day advances. The rainy season usually begins early in June, but a number of visitors remain on the hill till the middle of the month. As different houses are emptied, the owners cover them round with rain screens made of Kolamb and other grass so as to protect the walls against the heavy rains. Most the dealers and hawkers leave the bazaar at the end of the season, but a number of Vanis and the poorer classes remain. They completely surround their houses with screens, leaving only a small opening on the side furthest from the prevailing wind. The Vanis carry on their trade to a limited extent as the people who inhabit the hill and surrounding villages are too poor to lay in sufficient supplies for the monsoon. During these months it is generally very cloudy and misty, and the rain, though not incessant falls for the greater part of the time. It is usually heaviest in July, and 30 centimeters or more are occasionally registered in a day. Every spring becomes a torrent and much damage is done to the roads and gardens. "The difference between the wet season and the dry season is strongly marked at Mahabaleshwar. The wet season begins with the onset of the South-West monsoon early in June and lasts till the second week of October. The station receives the full force of the monsoon current on account of its situation on the crest of the Ghats and in four months, June to September more than 95 %. of the annual rainfall of 266" (675.64 centimeters) is received. In July and August there is hardly a day without rain, while in June and September rainfall occurs on three days out of four. The rainfall in October, which occurs at the end of the monsoon, is much less than in the main monsoon months, and is less than 3 per cent. of the annual fall."