Wayanad Weather in November, December and January
The short version: November has steady rain in the figures below, December swings wildly from year to year, and January is the coldest and, in the year we have figures for, completely dry. Every number comes from a research station's monthly meteorological reports for Wayanad district, not from a seasonal rule of thumb.
The usual advice that winter is the dry season misleads because it describes the southwest monsoon ending, not the rain stopping. The India Meteorological Department recorded the northeast monsoon setting in over Kerala on 16 October 2025, just as the "dry season" is supposed to begin.
What the numbers do not convey is how 13°C feels at five in the morning next to a river. Guests who come for the early-morning river bathing in November and December call it freezing, and while the thermometer disagrees, they are right about the part that counts: mist, wet air and no sun yet make the measured minimum feel a great deal colder than it reads. The same gap shows up on a night drive. The number says one thing, and being inside the mist says another.
What is the weather like in Wayanad in November?
Warm days around 30°C, nights near 18–19°C, and real rain. The district recorded 151.35 mm across November 2023 and 106.98 mm in November 2022, spread through the month rather than confined to one spell.
Morning humidity sat between 84 and 90 percent. If you are picturing crisp hill-station air in early November, picture it damp instead.
What is the weather like in Wayanad in December?
Cooler than November, with minimums around 15.5–16.4°C, but the rainfall is unpredictable rather than absent. December 2024 recorded 119.33 mm against December 2023's 18.29 mm, roughly six and a half times as much in consecutive years.
Where that rain fell matters as much as how much. In December 2024, 110.18 mm of the month's 119.33 mm came in the first ten days, leaving the back three weeks nearly dry. A December trip is not one thing.
What is the weather like in Wayanad in January?
The coldest of the three, and in the year we have figures for, the driest. January 2025 recorded no rainfall at all, with minimums of 13.0°C and maximums up to 31.6°C.
January is not reliably dry either: the January 2024 report shows 126 mm falling in the first ten days. Two consecutive Januaries, one with nothing and one with a wet first week.
How do the three months compare?
November is the mildest and the dampest, December sits in the middle and is the least predictable, and January has the coldest mornings. The table shows the two years we have for each month.
| November | December | January | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Min temp | 18.1–19.4°C | 15.5–16.4°C | 13.0–13.9°C |
| Max temp | about 30.0°C | 30.2–30.6°C | 30.0–31.6°C |
| Rainfall, recent year | 151.35 mm (2023) | 119.33 mm (2024) | 0 mm (2025) |
| Rainfall, year before | 106.98 mm (2022) | 18.29 mm (2023) | 126 mm in first 10 days (2024) |
| Morning humidity | 84–90% | 88–94% | 71–90% |
| In one line | Mild and damp | Cool and unpredictable | Cold mornings, big daily swing |
Figures are from the Wayanad district monthly meteorological reports linked in each section. Two years per month is a small sample: it shows a range, not a long-term normal.
How cold does Wayanad actually get?
Cold enough to need a layer at dawn and not by lunchtime. January 2025 readings ran from 13.0°C at the coldest to 31.6°C at the warmest, a spread of roughly eighteen degrees within the month, and the daily swing is large.
That gap is the most practical fact on this page. People pack for the temperature they read about and spend half the trip uncomfortable.
Does it actually rain in Wayanad in November?
Yes. Both Novembers we checked carried more than 100 mm, and the reason is the northeast monsoon, which the IMD recorded setting in over Kerala in mid-October 2025.
This does not make November a bad month. It makes it a month to plan around: indoor-friendly mornings, outdoor plans held loosely, and no trek booked as the only reason for the trip.
Where does the fog sit, and when?
In the high ground, and earlier in the afternoon than people expect. Reporting from December 2025 described Chundel, Vythiri, Vaduvanchal and Ambalavayal under dense mist, with Vaduvanchal fogged in by 3 P.M.
If you want a viewpoint photograph in December or January, go in the morning. The same spot at four in the afternoon can be white.
What are the evenings and nights like?
Cold, misty, and once the rain has cleared, unusually good for looking up. Clear skies and star watching are part of a winter evening here, and away from the towns the stars come out in a way they do not over a city.
Dress for it properly. A night drive through the hills in December feels far colder than the daytime reading suggests, for the same reason the river does at dawn: you are sitting in mist, not in air. It is also temple festival season. The Wayanad temple calendar runs through December and January, the Malayalam month of Dhanu, though festival dates move each year, so check them for your own dates.
What should you pack for November, December or January?
A warm layer for mornings and evenings, and summer clothes for the middle of the day, because you will use both every day. Add rain cover for November and early December.
Footwear matters more than outerwear here. Wet estate paths and red mud do not care how good your jacket is.
Which month should you choose?
For the coldest mornings and the best chance of a dry spell, January. For greener landscape with the first-ten-days rain often behind you, late December. November if you do not mind rain.
If you are timing a peak-season trip, read when to book for Wayanad's peak season as well, and if you are driving up, the Bangalore to Wayanad route guide covers the night road closure.
Planning a trip in these months?
Weather is the part of a Wayanad trip nobody can promise, which is why it is worth planning around rather than hoping through. We manage Nilara Hills, Croods, a private pool villa, and Blue Creek Village Resort. Tell us your dates and we will say what to keep flexible.
Written by the Horizon Finder India team. We manage and operate Nilara Hills, Croods and Blue Creek Village Resort in Wayanad and plan stays and trips across the district from our office in Kalpetta. Temperature, rainfall and humidity figures are from Wayanad district monthly meteorological reports published by UPASI Tea Research Foundation, read on 1 November 2026. Two years per month shows a range, not a long-term average, and none of this is a forecast for your dates.