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The climate of Hyderabad features an arid climate. The days are hot and dry, usually going up to extreme highs of 40 °C (104 °F), while the nights are cool and breezy. Winds usually bring along clouds of dust, and people prefer staying indoors in the daytime, while the breezes at night are pleasant and clean.
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In recent years Hyderabad has seen heavy downpours. In February 2003, Hyderabad received 105 millimetres (4.1 in) of rain in 12 hours, due to a sudden climate change. The years 2006, 2007 and 2009 saw close contenders to this record rainfall.
Factors
The monsoon and the Western Disturbance are the two main factors that change the weather over Hyderabad; otherwise, Continental air prevails for rest of the seasons. Following are the main factors that influence the weather over Hyderabad city.
Seasonal climate
Like other cities, Hyderabad has four seasons: winter, summer, autumn and spring. The monsoon season occurs in the summer.
Winter
The winter season begins in the month of December and lasts till February. The Western Disturbance influences the winter season. The lowest temperature in the winter was 3.3 °C (37.9 °F), recorded on January 21, 1973. The highest temperature in winter was 38.2 °C (100.8 °F), recorded on February 16, 1993. Light to moderate showers occur in winter, which decreases the temperature further due to the Western Disturbance. The highest monthly rainfall in winter 106 millimetres (4.2 in) was recorded in February 2003. The fastest rainfall in 24 hours was also recorded on 18 February 2003: 105 millimetres (4.1 in) was recorded in less than 12 hours.
Spring
The spring season begins in March and lasts till April. Being a dry city, Hyderabad's spring season is almost not felt. The highest temperature of spring was 46 °C (115 °F), recorded on April 2, 2002, while the lowest 12 °C (54 °F) was recorded on March 7, 1994. Rains are rare in the spring season. The highest monthly rainfall 47.2 millimetres (1.86 in) was recorded in the month of March. The fastest rainfall in 24 hours 46.7 millimetres (1.84 in) was recorded on 2 April 1963.
Summer
The summer season begins in May and lasts till September. Summer is the longest season in Hyderabad. Monsoon rains also occur in this season; these rains last from June till September. Extremely high temperatures are recorded in the summer. Heavy rains are also occur during the monsoon season. The highest temperature recorded in summer was 48.5 °C (119.3 °F), recorded on 7 June 1991, while the lowest 19 °C (66 °F) was recorded on May 4, 1989. The heaviest rainfall for Hyderabad also occurred in summer on September 12, 1962, when 250.7 mm of rain fell in 24 hours. The wettest month in Hyderabad is July. The highest monthly rainfall in summer 286 millimetres (11.3 in) was recorded in September 1962. In June 2010, Cyclone Phet's moisture caused heavy downpours in the city; a total of 76 millimetres (3.0 in) rainfall was recorded with 32 mph winds.
Autumn
This season begins in October and ends in November. Hazy and dry weather is the main factor of autumn. The highest temperature 36.9 °C (98.4 °F) was recorded on October 8, 1987, and the lowest temperature was 6.7 °C (44.1 °F), recorded on 28 November 1966. Showers do occur in this season late in November from the Western Disturbances. The highest monthly rainfall in autumn was 103.3 mm in October 2004, while the fastest 24-hour rainfall in autumn 85.6 millimetres (3.37 in) was recorded on 3 October 2004. In October 2004, Cyclone Onil created havoc in the city, with 98 millimetres (3.9 in) rainfall, and caused the drainage system to collapse.
Monsoon rainfall in Hyderabad
The average annual rainfall (January to December) for Hyderabad is 136.1 millimetres (5.36 in). The highest annual rainfall was 455 millimetres (17.9 in), recorded in 2006. The average monsoon rainfall for Hyderabad is 100 millimetres (3.9 in). Following is the annual monsoon rainfall (June till September) since 2008. The following is the annual monsoon rainfall for the last few years based on data from the Pakistan Meteorological Department.