While much scientific investigation has been devoted to studying urban meteorological phenomena from a top-down standpoint, less research has gone into understanding cities’ weather from a local qualitative perspective. Using a model of mental maps as defined in Moderow et al. (2023), this study investigates how locals and domestic tourists in the Indian cities of Jodhpur and Udaipur understand the monsoon, the heavy summer rains that define meteorology throughout the subcontinent. Fifty-four respondents were interviewed in Jodhpur and thirty-three in Udaipur. Respondents spoke about several locations in relation to the monsoon: Jodhpur and its surrounding areas were characterized by the dichotomy between the monsoon and the intense summer heat that precedes it, showing that the city does not experience weather in isolation, but in relation to its desert environment. Mumbai was noted for its robust rainfall, but also its urban flooding. In contrast to Mumbai, Pune was cited as benefiting from precolonial city design. Bangalore and South India in general were described as places with pleasant monsoon weather. A number of unifying themes emerged in these interviews, such as the relationship between rainfall and urban environmental integrity, the increasing unpredictability of the monsoon, and the characteristics that distinguish “good rain” from less desirable rain. These local testimonies demonstrate how cultural depictions of meteorology possess ongoing vitality, cascading into the frameworks and everyday lives of Indian cities. These narratives result in urban rainfall and the South Asian monsoon more broadly shaping urban epistemologies.