Delhi Public School Megacity, Kolkata

SUBJECT-GEOGRAPHY
CLASS –10
Session: 2022-2023

CHAPTER -CLIMATE
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 Mind Mapping-
 Important Features of Indian Climate
 Factors affecting India’s Weather & Climate
 Monsoon Mechanism
 Seasons of India
 Annual Distribution of Rainfall.

 Important Features of Indian Climate

 Climate of a country is mainly based on the study of its
temperature, rainfall, atmospheric pressure, and wind
directions.
 India experiences Tropical Monsoon Type of Climate
 Climate of India is greatly influenced by :-
Tropic Of Cancer(230 30’N) which divides the country into two halves
--- North Temperate Zone & South Tropical Zone.
Great Himalayan Rangealong the northern boundary running in an
east-west direction separating the Indian sub continent from the rest
of Asia,thereby–
 preventing the bitter cold winds from Central Chinafrom
entering India as well as

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  obstructing the rain bearing SW Monsoonwinds resulting in
heavy monsoon rains over the Northern Plains making it a
fertile region.

 Indian climate experiences variations & contrast in

temperature & rainfall– Temperature varies from 500C in the
deserts of Rajasthan during summer to -400C in Dras near
Kargil in winter. Similarly rainfall is as low as 25cm in
Rajasthan and as high as 1187cm. in Mawsynram in
Meghalaya.

 Orographic Rainfall- Relief or orographic rain is formed when

air is forced to cool when it rises over relief features in the
landscape such as hills or mountains. As it rises it cools,
condenses and forms rain. The opposite side of the mountain
remains rain less forming rain shadow area.

 Factors affecting India’s Weather & Climate

 Location & Latitudinal Extent– India lies roughly within 60 & 370
N latitudes. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the centre of the
country. The southern part being closer to Equator experiences
high temperature throughout the country. The northern partlies
in the warm temperate zone experiencing low

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 temperatureparticularly in winter.

 Distance From the Sea– Southern or Peninsular Indiais

surrounded by the Arabian Sea in the west, Bay of Bengal in the
east & the Indian ocean in the south. These water bodies
influence the climate of the coastal areas resulting in Maritime
type of climate. On the other hand the areas located at the interior
of the country away from the moderating influence of the
waster bodiesexperience high diurnal and annual range of
temperature resulting in Extreme or Continental type of climate.

 The Northern Mountain Range-TheHimalayasextending along the

northern boundary from Kashmir in the northwest to Arunachal
Pradesh in the northeast separates India from Asia. These ranges
act as a climate divide. The ranges protects the country from the
bitter cold winds blowing in the central part of Asiaand also
acts as a physical barrier for the rain bearing SW Monsoonwinds
to cross the northern bounder.

 Physiography of India- The physiographic or relief features of

India affect both temperature & rainfallpattern of India &
thereby influencing the climate of the country to a great extent. The
Himalayas in the north obstructs the rain bearing SW
Monsoonwinds causing rainfall over the northern plains. The
Western Ghatsalong the west coast of India acts as a barrier of the
Arabian Branch of SW Monsoon causing heavy rainfall in the
windward side of the range & developing a rain shadow area on
the opposite side of the range in the Deccan Plateauregion. The
funnel shaped hills of the of the southern edge of the
Meghalaya Plateaublocks the Bay of Bengal Branch of SW
Monsoon winds causing rainfall in Mawsynram region.

 Monsoon Winds- Monsoon winds are periodic windswith a

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 complete reversal of its directionin
two seasons. In the summer it is an
onshore wind(Containing moisture)
blowing from ocean to land from
southwest direction& if obstructed
by relief feature causes rain in the
windward side. Therefore during the summer months from June to
September major parts of India receive monsoon rain. In the
winter the direction of monsoon winds are reversedand it blows
as dry offshore winds from north east

 Direction from land towards oceans -As these winds are dry
major parts of India also remain dryduring this period accept for
some parts like the Coromondal Coastregion. Therefore as the
entire rainfall pattern of India is controlled by Monsoon winds India
is said to have “ Monsoon Climate”.

 Upper Air Circulation-Changes in the upper air circulation affects

sudden outbreak of monsoon. The Jet Streams in the upper layers
influence climate of India.

Westerly Jet Stream

During winterat about 8Km. above sea level a westerly jet stream
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blows over sub tropical areas. This is bifurcated by the Himalayan
ranges. The Northern branch blows along this boundary and the
southern branch blows eastward south of Himalayas along 25 0N
latitude. This jet stream is responsible for bringing western
disturbances from the Mediterranean Sea & causing winter rain
/snowfall in the north & north western parts of India.

During summerdue to the apparent movement of the sun in the

Northern Hemispherereversal in the upper air circulation takes place
replacing the Westerly Jet stream by the Easterly Jet stream which
originates due to heating of the Tibetan Plateau.This blows over
Peninsular Indiaalong 150NLatitude. This is instrumental for onset of
South West Monsoon.

 Western Disturbances & Tropical Cyclones– Western Disturbances

originating in the Mediterranean Regionmoves towards the Indian
subcontinent under the influence of the Westerly Jet Streams&
cause rainfall in the north western parts of India during the
winter months. This is a beneficial rain for the Rabi crops cultivated
in this region.

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 The Tropical Cyclonesdevelop in the Bay Of Bengal
mainly along the Eastern Coastal Region during the season of
Retreating Monsoon Season in the months of October & November
influencing the weather & climate to a great extent.

 El-Nino Effect – El Ninois a narrow warm currentwhich develops off

the Peru Coast in South America during the wintermonths
replacing the usual cold Peru current which flows at that time. It is a
temporary replacement of the Peru Current but it raises the
temperature of the ocean surface water by 100C. The warming of
tropical Pacific wateraffects the global temperature &
pressuredistribution resulting in wide spread floods & droughtsall
over the world. Indian monsoon is also affected by this El Nino Effect.
El Ninoaffects the flow of moisture-bearing winds from the cooler
oceans towards India, negatively impactthe summer monsoon, which
accounts for over 70% of annual rainfall .

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 Southern Oscillation– It is a pattern of meteorological changewhich
are observed between theIndian & Pacific Oceans. Because of this
when Indian Ocean has high surface level pressureit is low over the
Pacific Ocean & vice versa. As a result when surface level pressure is
high over pacific Ocean India experiences strong monsoon(as winds
blow from high pressure region to low pressure) and a weak monsoon
in the reverse case.

 Monsoon Mechanism
 The wordmonsoon comes from the Arabic word “mausim”, meaning
season. Basically, it refers to the wind system in the Tropical Regions
under which the direction of winds is completely reversed between
summer & winter seasons.

 Under this system during summer this wind blows from sea to
land& in winter from land to sea.

 There are two theories regarding cause of monsoon:-

 According to the traditional theoryit is the differential heating &
cooling of land & water that causes monsoon.

 According to the modern theoryit is the northward shift of sun

over the Tropic of
Cancer in summer&
Simultaneous shift of
ITCZin the north at that
time cause monsoon.
ITCZ –

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 The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, known by sailors as
the doldrumsor the calms because of its monotonous, windless
weather.

 It is the area where the

northeast and southeast
trade winds converge.

 It encircles Earth near the

thermal equator, though its
specific position varies
seasonally.

 ITCZ lies in the equatorial trough, a permanent low-

pressurefeature where surface trade winds, laden with heat and
moisture, converge to form a zone of increased convection,
cloudiness, and precipitation.

 As air rises near the equator and then flows poleward, it leaves
an area of fewer air molecules at the equator. Water vapour
condenses as air rises and cools in the ITCZ, forming clouds
and falling as rain.

 The ITCZcan be seen from space as a band of clouds around

the planet.

 This is where monsoon rainfall occurs. Thewinds move from

high pressure to low pressure, therefore when the winds
meet an area of low pressure is created on the landmass
which in turn brings in winds with moisture causing
rainfall. This is how the ITCZ affects the Indian monsoon
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 By the end of May a seasonal low pressure troughis developed
between Thar Desert &Chhotanagpur resulting in creation low
pressure with high temperature in the interior of north India.
There is low temperature & high pressure over the water bodies.
 This low pressure attracts the SE Tradewinds blowing in the
southern hemisphere.
 Due to Coriolis Effectas soon as SE trades cross the equator they
are deflected to the north& enter the Indian sub continent as SW
Monsoon winds.

 Due to the tapering topography of peninsularIndia the SW

Monsoon winds are bifurcated into two branches.
 The Arabian Sea Branch
 The Bay Of Bengal Branch

ARABIAN SEA BRANCH OF SW MONSOON

 It strikes the western coast of India( Kerala) during first week
of June& causes heavy rainfall along the western part of
western Ghat (orographicrainfall).
 On the leeward sideof the Western Ghat in the Deccan Plateau

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 Region a rain shadowarea develops. As a result places like Pune
located in the rain shadow area receives only 70cm.of rain
compared to Mahabaleshwar situated close to Pune but at
thewindward side of Western Ghats which receives as high
as250cm. of rain.
 One current of Arabian Sea Branch as proceeds towards the
northern India runs parallel to the Aravali Range. As here the
winds are not obstructedby the range it does not cause any
rainfall in the Rajasthan developing it into an arid region.
 This branch reaches the Siwaliks without shedding the moisture
and gets exhausted after shedding little rain in & around NW
parts of India along with the Bay Of Bengal Branch.
 Arabian Sea branch is larger than the Bay Of Bengal Branch.

BAY OF BENGAL BRANCH Of SW MONSOON

 It advance north east ward over Bay of Bengal picking up
moisture on its course.
 It is intercepted by the North east Himalayan off shoots like Garo
,Khasi& the Jayantiaranges.
 The funnel shapedvalley at the edge of the Meghalaya Plateau
trapsthe wind which causes heavy rainfall in Mawsynram(rainiest
place of the world with
1187.3cm.of rainfall)situated
there.
 On the other hand Shillong
Plateau located at the leeward
side falls into the rain shadow
zone& receives very little rain.
 The remaining part of this
branch is deflected to the
westby the Himalayas &
proceeds from east to westalong the Northern Plains of India.

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  The rain fallcontinues to decrease as
it proceeds from Lower Ganga Valley
to Middle & Upper Ganga valley. It
causes rainfall over West Bengal,
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh.
 Finally it merges with the Arabian
Sea Branch(around the month of
September) shed the remaining
moisture in Punjab- Haryana Region.

RETREATING MONSOON SEASON

 By first week of Septemberdue to apparent movement of sun
towards south low pressure in the central parts of India starts
weakening& consequently no longer can attract the winds towards
land.
 During Autumn Equinoxwhen the sun is overhead on the
Equatorhigh pressure begins to develop on the land massand
low pressure over the water bodies.
 Gradually the SW Monsoon starts retreating from the landmass of
India.
 As this wind blows from land to sea these are dry winds and do not
cause rainfall over major parts of the country.
 The SW Monsoon starts retreating from Punjab/UP by the end of
September . By November it is withdrawn from the Southern
Peninsula.
 This wind causes rain along the East Coast of India.

NORTH EAST MONSOON

 The north-east monsoon, commonly known as winter monsoon blows
from land to sea. The south-west monsoon brings most of the rainfall
during a year in the country.
 The Tamilnadu Coast receives highest rainfall from North East
monsoon. Some minor amount of rainfall will also received by Andhra
Pradesh and Kerala states.

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  SEASONS OF INDIA
 The winter or Cold Weather Season
 The Summer or Hot Weather Season
 The Rainy Or SW Monsoon Season
 The Season of Retreating Monsoon

THE WINTER SEASON

 Mid November to Marchwith January
being the coldest month.
 In northern Indiaaverage temperature is
210c, with some places having
temperature below freezing point.
 In the Peninsular region the temperature
can be as high as 310c but the average is
220c to 250c.
 Coastal areasdo not experience season change.
 North-westernparts of the country experience high pressurewhere as
the surrounding water bodies have low pressure.
 Dry offshore windsblow from high pressure to low pressure.
 Western Disturbancesoriginating in the Mediterranean Region causes
rainfall in the NW parts of the country.This rainfall is beneficial
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 specially for the Rabi Crops.
 During winter the
CoromandalOr the
TamilnaduCoastreceive rainfall from
the NE Monsoon windsas they pass
over Bay of Bengal & strikes the
Eastern Ghats.

THE SUMMER SEASON:-

 April to June
 Sun’s rays are direct on TOC
 Temperature becomes as high as
450C
 The coastal peninsular region do not experiencesuch high
temperature due to moderating influence of sea.
 Low pressure conditions prevail over Northern parts of India & high
pressure over the water bodies.
 Wet On shore windsblow from land to sea causing orographic rainfall
in most parts of the country. The rainfall distribution is not
uniformover the country. Maximum rain occurs in the windward
slopes of the obstructing mountains.
 Some local winds blow during this season:-
 Loo – hot dry dusty wind, over north India, raises the temperature,
harmful
 Cherry Blossom– beneficial rain for coffee plantation of Kerala
 Nor W’ester or Kalbaisakhi- torrential rain in April in WB
&Assam(BardoliChheerha), both beneficial & harmful, lowers
temperature but causes damage to life & property.
 Mango Shower– Pre monsoon shower over Kerala, helps in ripening
of mango.

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 THE RAINY /SW MONSOON SEASON
 June to October
 The sudden onset of rain is called monsoon burstwhich usually
happens in first week of Junein the coastal areas of Kerala. This
also reduces the temperature by 50c to 80c
 India receives about 80% of rainfallduring this time
 The SW Monsoon is divided into two branches:-
Arabian Sea Branch
Bay of Bengal Branch
 Arabian Sea Branch
 Originate in theArabian Sea & that
is why so named.
 It has three sub currents.
 The First Currentstrikes the
Western Ghats& causes heavy
rainfall in the windward slopeof
the mountain and causing a rain
shadowarea in the Deccan
plateaulocated at the leeward
sideof the mountain.
Mangaloresituated in the windward
side receives about 280cm of rain
where asBangalorelocated in the
rain shadowarea gets only 50cm of
rain.
 The Second Currentmoves through the Narmada-TapiTrough,
proceeds uninterrupted causing about only 60cm rain in Nagpur.
 TheThird Current runs parallel to the Aravali Range, causes very
little or no rain in the Rajasthan as it is not obstructed by the
relief, on reaching the Himalayas cause rain at the foot hills&
finally merges with the Bay of Bengal Branch .

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  Bay Of Bengal Branch
 Originates from Bay Of Bengal&
that is why so named.
 It is divided into two sub currents.
 The first current encounters the
Garo-Khasi_Jayantiaranges after
passing over Ganga Delta.Here the
moisture laded winds rise along the
funnel shaped hills & cause heavy
rainfall 0f about 1221cm over
Mawsynram of Meghalaya making it the
worlds’ wettest place
 The second current gets
deflectedby the Himalayas and blow
over the Northern Plainsfrom a east to west direction. The rainfall
continues to decline from the Lower
Ganga Plain – Middle Ganga Plain &
Upper Ganga Plain.
 Finally this branch merges with the
Arabian Sea Branchcauses rainfall in &
around Delhi in the NW part of the
country.
 The South Eastern Coast remains dry
during this period as the Bay Of Bengal
Branch runs parallel to the Eastern
Ghats & does not cause rainfall.

THE SEASON OF RETREATING MONSOON

 September to Early December
 Monsoon starts retreating from the northern part from September &
finally by December from Peninsular India.
 The Retreating is gradual compared to the onset.
 Cyclonic Stormsare frequent

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  Average temperature is 200C.
 Tamilnadu Coast receives
rainfall.

ANNUAL DISTRIBUTION OF
RAINFALL-
Based upon annual rainfall the
following rainfall zones have been
classified in India :-

Areas of Heavy Rainfall

 Morethan 200cm of rain
 Western Slopes of Western Ghats, Southern slopes of
 Himalayas, Meghalaya, Assam, Malabar Coast

Areas of Moderate Rainfall

 Between 100cm to 200 cm of rain Bihar, Telengana, Tamilnadu,
Madhya Pradesh
Areas of Low Rainfall
 Between 50cm to 100 cm of rain Upper Ganga Valley, Deccan
Plateau Punjab, Rajasthan
Areas of Very Low rainfall
 Less than 50cm of rain
 Western Rajasthan, Southern Punjab, Rain Shadow Areas of Deccan
Plateau.

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