The climate of the Core Zone is typically tropical monsoonal type. Due to variations in temperature, humidity, wind velocity and precipitation throughout the year, local climatic factors serve as regulators of vegetation and habits and activities of wild animals.
The summer sets in around the late February, towards the end of the month and lasts till around midJune when the area usually receives pre-monsoon showers. The last fortnight of May is the hottest, and the temperature may rise up to around 45oC. The summer is usually dry but rains, hailstorm and thunder do sometimes occur in the months of March and April.
The rainy season arrives with pre-monsoon showers usually received in the second or third week of June. Regular rainfall, however, may take place by even the second or third week of July. Generally, the wettest months are July and August, when around 53% of the total annual rainfall is received in the season, which is around 1300 mm.
The winter sets in November and lasts till February. December and January are the coldest months in winters. In severe winter, the night temperature comes down very low, and severe ground frost occurs in the meadows and valleys, with the mercury dropping to 0OC or sometimes even to the sub-zero temperatures.
Thus there are three distinct seasons, viz:
Winter: November to February (with the night temperature dropping to -2 oC sometimes during December and January).
Summer: Late February to mid-June (the hottest period extends from May up to the first or even second week of June, with the day temperature sometimes soaring to 45oC).
Rains: July to late September (August is the wettest month, and the average annual rainfall is around 1300 mm.).