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Bhutan's climate is as varied as its altitudes and, like most of Asia, is affected by
monsoons. Western Bhutan is particularly affected by monsoons that bring between 60 and 90 percent of
the region's rainfall. The climate is humid and subtropical in the southern plains and foothills, temperate in
the inner Himalayan valleys of the southern and central regions are cold and colder in the north, with
year-round snow on the main Himalayan summits.
Temperatures vary according to elevation. Most
of the central portion of the country experiences a cool, temperate climate year round. In the south, a hot,
humid climate helps maintain a fairly even temperature range of between 15? C and 30? C year-round,
although temperatures sometimes reach 40? C in the valleys during the summer.
Bhutan's
generally dry spring starts in early March and lasts until mid-April. Summer weather commences in
mid-April with occasional showers and continues through the pre monsoon rains of late June. The
summer monsoon lasts from late June through late September with heavy rains from the southwest. The
monsoon weather, blocked from its northward progress by the Himalayas, brings heavy rains, high
humidity, flash floods and landslides, and numerous misty, overcast days. Autumn, from late September
or early October to late November, follows the rainy season. It is characterized by bright, sunny days and
some early snowfalls at higher elevations. From late November until March, winter sets in, with frost
throughout much of the country and snowfall common above elevations of 3,000 meters. The winter
northeast monsoon brings gale-force winds down through high mountain passes, giving Bhutan its
name-- Drukyul, which in the Dzongkha language mean Land of the Thunder Dragon. |
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