CLIMATE OF INDIA

BY ANANYA
INTRODUCTION TO THE CLIMATE

TION
CLIMATE OF INDIA – GEOGRAPHY - INTRODUC
OF INDIA
• CLIMATE IS DEFINED AS THE AVERAGE WEATHER CONDITIONS OF
TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL OVER A PARTICULAR AREA OR REGION FOR
OVER 3 DECADES

• THE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS IN INDIA ARE QUITE PLEASANT AND ARE

VULNERABLE TO MANY CHANGES.

TEACHING OBJECTIVES:
 TO LEARN ABOUT THE FACTORS
AFFECTING THE CLIMATE OF INDIA
 VARIATIONS AND CHANGES IN CLIMATE
 THE FOUR SEASONS

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2
 FACTORS AFFECTING CLIMATE

FACTORS AFFECTING THE CLIMATE OF INDIA

OF INDIA
The
Himalayas
The Tropic of
prevent
Cancer divides
the into
India cold2
windsthe
halves from
entering
northern and
the Indian
southern half
Subcontine
wherein the
nt
northern half
that arise
experiences
from
continental
Central
type of climate
Asia
and the

12/13/2024
southern
experiences an 3
equable or
 VARIATIONS IN CLIMATE

VARIATIONS IN CLIMATE
TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS
DURING SUMMER

RAINFALL

TEMPERATURE

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4
 TEMPERATURE DURING SUMMER

TEMPERATURE DURING SUMMER CONDITION

THAR DESERT :
THE PLACES
NORTH TO THE
TEMPERATURE:50
TROPIC OF DEGREE C
CANCER
EXPERIENCE
CONTINENTSAL
TYPE OF CLIMATE
i.e EXTREME HOT
DURING SUMMER
THE TROPIC
OF CANCER
DIVIDES THE REGION SOUTH
TO THE TROPIC OF
CANCER EXPERIENCES
INDIA INTO MARITIME / EQUABLE

2 HALVES
CLIMATE
TEMPERATURE:
COASTAL REGION:
3 TO 5 DEGREE C

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5
 RAINFALL
• MAWSYNRAM IN MEGHALAYA RECEIVES THE HIGHEST RAINFALL UPTO 25 cm of RAINFALL

RAINFALL
• IT IS A STATION IN MEGHALAYA , ABOUT 16 Km AWAY FORM CHERRAPUNJI

• THE UNPREDECTIBLE AND UNPRECEDENTED RAINFALL CREATES HAVOC IN PLACES .

• THE TWO COASTS OF THE INDIAN PENINSULAR ARE IN THE REVERSE DIRECTIONS IN ORDER TO
FACILITATE THE RAINFALL .

• THE WESTERN COAST GETS THE HEAVIETS RAINFALL DURING JUNE BY SOUTH WEST MONSOON

• EASTERN COAST GETS MAXIMUM RAINFALL DURING WINTER.

• HIMALAYAN RANGES BEING SITUATED FAR FROM THE EQUATOR EXPERIENCE SNOWFALL
WHEREAS PLACES IN THE SOUTHERN PENINSULA RECEIVE NO SNOWFALLL BECAUSE OF THEIR
POSITION BEING LOCATED CLOSE TO THE EQUATOR

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6
 FACTORS AFFECTING
TEMPERATURE

FACTORS AFFECTING TEMPERATURE

INFLUENCE OF HIMALAYAS
THE HIMALAYAS ACT AS A NATURAL BARRIER BY SERVING TWO IMPORTANT
PURPOSES: ALTITUDE:
=> IT PREVENTS THE COLD WINDS ARISING FROM SIBERIA FROM ENTERING THE TEMPERATURE DECREASES WITH AN ASCENT IN THE ALTITUDE
INDIA
IT DECREASES BY 1 EGREE C FOR EVERY 166 m OF ASCENT
=> IT ALSO COMPELLS / FORCES THE RAIN BEARING SOUTH WEST WINDS TO
SHED ITS MOISTURE TOWARDS INDIA,RESULTING IN HEAVY RAINFALL IN INDO
GANGETIC PLAIN

LOCATION:
PLACES LOCATED TO THE NORTH OF THE
TROPIC OF CANCER FACE CONTINENTAL
CLIMATE WHEREAS THE PLACES SOUTH TO
THE EQUATOR FACE EQUABLE OR MARITIME
CLIMATE
WESTERN DISTURBANCES:
DURING WINTER THERE IS AN INFLOW OF LOW PRESSURE DEPRESSIONS
TERMED AS WESTERN DISTURBANCES IN N-W INDIA . THESE DEPRESSIONS
ORIGINATE IN THE MEDITERRANIAN SEA AND ENTER INDIA AFTER CROSSING
UPPER AIR CURRENTS OR JET STREAMS: IRAQ,AFGHANISTAN,PAKISTAN .THEY INTENSIFY OVER NORTH WEST INDIA AND
THEY MOVE IN THE UPPER LAYER OF THE ATMOSPHERE MOVE EASTWARD CAUSING HEAVY RAIN IN PUNJAB AND HARYANA AND
THEY COULD DETERMINE THE ONSET AND DEPARTURE OF MONSOON. SNOWFALL IN HIMALAYAS.
DURING SUMMER THE WHOLE OF THE INDIA COMES UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF
THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION(LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS ORIGINATINGAT THE
HEAD OF BAY OF BENGAL).

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 CLIMATE OF INDIA:

CLIMATE OF INDIA:
• IN SPITE OF THE GREAT DIVERSITY AND VARIATION IN INDIAN CLIMATE AND TOPOGRAPHY DUE TO
VARIOUS REASONS STATED EARLIER , THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR THAT LENDS TO THE UNITY TO
THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT IS THE FACT OF MONSOONS.

• THE WORD “MONSOON” OWES ITS ORIGIN TO AN ARABIC WORD MEANING ‘SEASON’ . IT WAS USED
BY SEA MEN SEVERAL CENTURIES AGO TO DESCRIBE THE ALTERNATING WINDS OVER THE ARABIAN
SEA.THESE WINDS APPEAR TO BLOW FROM THE SOUTH WEST FOR 6 MONTHS AND FROM THE NORTH-
EAST FOR ANOTHER 6 MONTHS.

• HENCE AS THEY REVERSE THEIR DIRECTION SEASONALLY THEY ARE CALLED AS “MONSOON WINDS”
AND THE CLIMATE IS DEFINED AS TROPICAL MONSOON TYPE.

• MONSOON WINDS CAN BE CALLED AS LAND AND SEA BREEZES ON A LARGE SCALE AS BOTH ARE
CAUSED DUE TO DIFFERENTIAL HEATING OF LAND AND SEA.

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8
 S
SEASON
FOUR
THE
THE FOUR SEASONS

RAINY OR THE COLD OR

SUMMER OR THE RETREATING NORTH-EAST
HOT DRY SOUTH WEST SOUTH WEST MONSOON
SEASON MONSOON MONSOON SEASON SEASON
TIME SEASON TIME TIME
TIME PERIOD:OCTOBE
PERIOD:MARC PERIOD:DECE
H TO MAY
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PERIOD:JUNE TO R TO NOVEMBER MBER TO
FEBRUARY
9
SEPTEMBER
  MAINLAND OF INDIA
 THE SOUTH –EAST
EXPERIENCES INTENSE
TRADEHEATING,DURING THE
WINDS

THE SUMMER SEASON/THE HOT

TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS WHICH BLOW FROM
MONTH OF MAY TO
OVER THE LAND: SOUTH –EAST TO

THE SUMMER SEASON/THE HOT DRY SEASON

MARCH . LOW
DURING THE SUMMER SOUTH-WEST IN
PRESSURE CONDITION AND WIND PRESSURE

DRY SEASON
SOUTHERN INDIA
SOLSTICE , THE SUN SHINES
DIRECTION: CONDITIONS DEVELOP
ARE ATTRACTED
AS THE WHOLE COUNTRY SIMMERS ON MAINLAND OF
DIRECTLY OVERHEAD
IN HEAT,THE AT THE
LOW PRESSURE
TOWARDS THE
INDIA
MAINLAND OF INDIA .
WHILE HIGH
TROPIC
STORMS OF CANCER
DURING
CONDITIONS HOT WEATHER
DEVELOP WHICH
OVER SEASON:
LAND
ASBECOME
THE WARMEST
MORE AREAAND
SHIFTS
A LOWFROM THEY BLOW FROM THE PREVAIL
PRESSURE
DIVIDES
DECCAN
INDIA INTO
TOWARDS
SEVERE
2 EQUAL
NORTH-WEST INDIA IN SOUTH-WEST TO NORTH-OVER THE
PRESSURE TROUGH DEVELOPS
THE MONTH HALVES.
OF THAR
BETWEEN MAY AND IT BUILDS
DESERT AND UP A EAST .HERESURROUNDING
THE HOT SEAS.
LOW PRESSURE TROUGH
CHOTANAGPUR BETWEEN
PLATEAU THAR
. ON THE SEASON ENDS AND
DESERT
OTHERAND
HANDCHOTANAGPUR PLATEAU .
, THE SURROUNDING SOUTH – WEST
WINDS FROM
SEAS ARETHE REGION
COLLER SURROUNDING
, HENCE THEY MONSOON SETS IN THE

LOW TROUGH
DEVELOPAREA
HIGH ARE DRAWN INTO
PRESSURE MONTH OF THERE
JUNE. IS A STEADY
CIRCULATION . THESE WINDS GIVE RISE INCREASE IN
TO THUNDERSTORMS .
CONDITIONSWITH STRONG
DUSTY WINDS , OFTEN BRINGING A
TEMPERATURE FROM
SOUTH TO NORTH
SHOWER OF RAIN MOSTLY IN PUNJAB , WITH THE HIGHEST IN
HARYANA AND UTTAR PRADESH THE INTERIOR .
RAJASTHAN
EXPERIENCES HIGHEST
TEMPERATURE
BETWEEN 45 DEGREE
C AND 50 DEGREE C.IN
CENTRAL INDIA ,
AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE IS
ABOUT 45 DEGREE C
AND IN SOUTH IS
ABOUT 38 DEGREE C
AND 40 DEGREE C IN
THE MONTH OF MAY

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 LOCAL WINDS DURING SUMMER AND

TERISTIC FEATURES OF SUMMER

LOCAL WINDS DURING SUMMER AND CHARCA
CHARCATERISTIC FEATURES OF
CHARACTERISTICS OF SUMMER SEASON:
SUMMER
Þ THIS SEASON IS MARKED BY DRY WEATHER AND EXCESSIVE HEAT
Þ IN THIS SEASON , THE SUN SHINES DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AT THE TROPIC OF
KALI
LOO CANCER
Þ THE WHOLE OF TROPICAL BAISAKHI
INDIA
IN WEST, SOUTH
BENGALOF ,HIMALAYAS,EXPERIENCES
THESE LOCAL WINDS AREVERY
HIGH TEMPERATURE.
CALLED KALI BAISAKHI MEANING “THE
Þ THE RANGE OF LOO
TEMP IS VERY
ARE
CALAMITY OF HIGH
HOT DUSTY INDRY
THE MONTH THEWINDS
INTERIOR
, SOME OF
OF BAISAKHI” .
Þ THE RANGE OF TEMP IS LOW
THEY OVER
THEM ARE THE COASTAL
CALLED
ALSO ‘SAND REGIONS
CALLEDSTORMS’ AS THEY
WHICH
“NORWESTERS”
EXPERIENCE
BLOW EQUABLE
BECAUSE THEYCLIMATE.
PARTICULARLY IN THEBLOW
USUALLY MONTHIN OF
THEMAY
Þ THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED
AND JUNE BY DUSTY
IN THE
NORTH-WEST WINDS ARE
NORTHERN
DIRECTION .COMMON
PLAIN . THE
Þ THE BRIEF SPELL OF SHOWERS
THESEEXPERIENCED
FIERCE HEATWINDS
LOCAL WITH ATTEMPERATURE
THISACCOMPANIED
ARE TIME IS VERY USEFUL
RISING
BY
FOR TEA CROP IN ASSAM , RICE
UPTOIN 45
W,BENGAL
DEGREE AND
THUNDERSTORMS C TOANDTEA AND COFFEE
50BRING
DEGREE C MAY
HEAVY IN THE
CAUSE SOUTH.
RAINFALLSUNSTROKE
. THIS RAIN WHICH
IN THE MAY BE FATAL.
MONTH OF
APRIL/MAY IS GOOD FOR TEA CROP IN ASSAM
AND JUTE AND RICE IN W. BENGAL

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 THE RAINY SEASON OR SOUTH-
WEST MONSOON SEASON

THE RAINY SEASON

• ONSET OF THE MONSOON OVER THE MALABAR COAST IN KERALA IS A
SPECTACULAR EVENT . THERE IS MIRACULOUS CHANGE IN THE
GENERAL SCENARIO OF THE COUNTRY . THE LANDSCAPE SEEMS
MONSOON AND ITS MECHANISM:
SUDDENLY TRANSFORMED WITH LUSH GREEN
THE WORDFIELDS
MONSOON AND
HAS BEEN DERIVED FROM
THE WORD”MAUSIM”, AN ARABIC WORD WHICH
OVERFLOWING RIVERS. MEANS SEASON . ORIGINALLY THE WORD
“MONSOON” WAS USED BY ARAB NAVIGATORS
SEVERAL CENTURIES AGO TO DESCRIBE A
SYSTEM OF SEASONAL REVERSAL OF WINDS
ALONG THE SHORES OF THE INDIAN
OCEAN,ESPECIALLY OVER THE ARABIAN SEA , IN
WHICH THE WIND BLOW FROM THE WOUTH WEST
TO NORTH EAST DURING SUMMER AND NORTH-
EAST TO SOUTH-WEST DURING WINTER.

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 AS A RESULT A HIGH PRESSURE GRADIENT BUILDS
UP BETWEEN THE HOT NORTH INDIA WITH
INTENSE LOW PRESSURE AND COOLER WATER

ORIGIN OF MONSOON
BODIES WITH HIGH PRESSURE.THE LOW
PRESSURE AREA ATTRACTS THE SOUTH –EAST
TRADE WINDS BLOWING IN THE SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE .
AS SUCH AFTER CROSSING THE EQUATOR THESE
WINDS GET DEFLECTED TOWARDS THE INDIAN
SUBCONTINENT AS SOUTH-WEST MONSOON AS
THEY BLOW FROM THE SOUTH-WEST TO NORTH-
EAST . THE ADVANCE OF SOUTH –WEST MONSOON
CAN BE SEEN IN ANY SATELLITE PICTURE BTW 1ST
TO 5TH JUNE.

ORIGIN OF MONSOON
• AS STATED EARLIER , MONSOONS ARE BASICALLY
S
H EA LAND AND SEA BREEZES ON A LARGE SCALE.
FA EA IS
IS ST TED NO • THE SUN SHINES DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AT THE
AS A T
LA S
LA N
D TROPIC OF CANCER FROM MARCH TO MAY
ND
HE • BY THE END OF MAY ,THE DIFFERENTIAL HEATING OF LAND AND
AT
S
FA SEA BRINGS ABOUT A SEASONAL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH
ST
ER
BETWEEN THE THAR DESERT AND THE CHOTANGAPUR PLATEAU .

LOW PRESSURE HIGH PRESSURE

REGION REGION
TEMP HIGH PRESSURE TEMP MOD PRESSURE
LOW HIGH
WINDS
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 THE ADVANCEMENT OF

ADVANCEMENT OF MONSOON IN INDIA

THE MONSOON IN INDIA
by 15th they
cover
Ahmedabad
and Bhopal.
by 1st July
they cover
most of
Kachch,
eastern
Rajasthan,
whole of U.P.,
Haryana, MUMBAI
Himachal - 10th June
Pradesh
5th June whole of Kerala on the west
and eastern
Punjab. and Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
by 15th July, Andhra Pradesh,
the whole of KERALA Telangana proceeding towards North-
the country is East.
covered by 1ST JUNE

14
monsoon.

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 DIVISION OF SOUTH –WEST
MONSOON WIND:

BRANCHES OF S-W MONSOON WINDS

• The South-West Monsoon divides
into two branches due to tapering
topography of peninsular India.

• 1. The Arabian Sea Branch

• 2. The Bay of Bengal Branch

The Arabian
Sea Branch

The Bay of Bengal

15
Branch

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 THE ARABIAN SEA BRANCH

ARABIAN SEA BRANCH

(c) The Deccan Plateau lying in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats
(a) The
receives veryArabian
little rainfall;Sea branch
for example, of the situated on the
Mahabaleshwar
western side of Western Ghats receives 250 cm of rainfall whereas Pune,
South-West
only a few km away,Monsoon strikes
receives less than 70 cm. the
western coast of India in Kerala on
(d) The duration and amount of rainfall goes on decreasing as Arabian Sea Branch
1st June. It gives very heavy rainfall
move northward. It takes about 4 to 6 weeks to trave from Kanniyakumari to
Shiwaliks
along the windward side of
• The Aravali's alignment is parallel to rain bearing South-West Monsoon Winds an as
Western
such Ghats
they do not offer as these
obstruction winds
Furthermore, areare very low.
these hills

• unable
OROGRAP
to cross
The moisture-laden overover
winds passing Western
Rajasthan do not saturate as the heat in to
hold moisture. Thus, they reach the Shiwaliks without shedding their moisture. HIC
Ghats.
(f) The total volume of the Arabian Sea branch greater than the Bay of Bengal branch RAINFALL
(b) This rainfall is called orographic
due to two reasons

(i) The Arabian Sea branch is much larger than the Bay of Bengal branch.
or relief rainfall.
(ii) The whole of the Arabian Sea branch is used up by the entire country whereas on
part of it enters India through South-East India, the rest goes towards Myanmar and
Thailand.

(g) The Arabian Sea branch gets exhausted by the time it reaches Punjab and sheds

16
its moisture after the Bay of Bengal branch at the foothills of the Himalayas.

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THE BAY OF BENGAL
THE BAY OF BENGAL BRANCH
(a) Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Sri Lanka are the first to receive rainfall from

BRANCH
the Bay of Bengal branch.
(b) The Bay of Bengal branch advances north- eastward, after picking moisture from

BAY OF BENGAL BRANCH

the Bay of Bengal.
(c) The main target of the Bay of Bengal is a low pressure area in north Myanmar.
However, a part of it is intercepted by the north-east Himalaya including Garo,
Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
(d) Mawsynram, 16 km west of Cherrapunji. gets the heaviest annual rainfall in the
world (1187.3 cm). This is relief rainfall. Shillong on the other hand, lying in the
rain shadow of Khasi Hills gets little rainfall.
(e) The remaining portion of the Bay of Bengal branch is deflected towards west along
the Himalayas. However, the rainfall goes on decreasing as it proceeds through the
Ganga valley. The current finally merges with the Arabian Sea branch and sheds
remaining moisture at the foothills of the Himalayas. On its way it gives rainfall to
West Bengal, Indo-Gangetic Plain, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.

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 THE RETREATING SOUTH-WEST
MONSOON(HARYAN-OCTOBER TO

RETREATING S-W MONSOON WINDS

NOVEMBER)

I) The withdrawal of the south west monsoon is a much slower process than its onset. It is just the reversal off the process. As
the South-West Monsoon had travelled towards the north, now it retreats towards the south. The retreating South West
Monsoon blows from North . The Retreating South-West Monsoon East to South West.

II) This process starts in October and is over by the end This of November.

III) • By the end of September, the South-West Monsoon withdraws from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, by October from central
India and finally by the end of November from south India.
LOW
IV) • The Retreating Monsoon causes rain in coastal regions of Tamil Nadu, the eastern coasts, the south of Krishna Delta and in
PRESSURE
By 1st September, with the apparent movement of the sun towards
the interior districts. south, the low pressure in central India starts weakening, and is no
longer able to attract the monsoon winds towards land. During
Autumn equinox when the sun shines directly over Equator, the
high pressure begins to build over mainland and subsequently with
low pressure over the sea, the South-West Monsoon begins to
withdraw from the mainland of India.

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 CHARACTERISITCS OF S-W MONSOON WINDS
CHARACTERISTIC FEATURE OF RETREATING SOUTH – WEST MONSOON:
(a) The retreat of monsoon takes place due to the migration of sun towards the south and withdrawal of the south-
• As the sun no longer shines directly over the Tropic of Cancer, the low pressure weakens with decreasing temperatures, giving way to
high pressure on land and low pressure on the surrounding seas.
• Thus, it is a transition period between the hot rainy west monsoon season and cold dry season in the months of October and
November.
(b) This transition period is marked by the occurrence of tropical depressions (low-pressure systems) which travel across the country in
west to north-west direction, generally originating over the Bay of Bengal and rarely in the Arabian Sea.
• Whenever they occur, they cause tremendous loss of life and property due to heavy rains usually on the eastern coastal regions of India.
(c) The part of winter rainfall in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is caused by retreating monsoons. • These cyclones are accompanied by
strong surface winds, dense clouds, thundering and heavy downpours.
• A rain of 50 cm in a day is not uncommon. They originate in the area between 8°N to 14°N, mostly on the eastern coast, including Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha. (d) The storms in the Arabian Sea though very rarely occur between 12°N to 17°N in October
and November. (e) The withdrawal of monsoon leads to clear cloudless sky, high temperatures and high humidity during the month of
October. Thus, this sultry and oppressive weather is often referred to as ‘October Heat’

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 CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES

SOUTH – WEST MONSOON

C H A R A C T E R I S T I C F E AT U R E S O F
OF SOUTH – WEST MONSOON
• (a) The distribution of rainfall is not uniform. The South-West Monsoon causes rainfall in most of the country except in Tamil Nadu. The
duration and amount of rainfall varies from 2 to 4 months. Even the amount of rainfall varies from region to region.

• (b) Erratic nature of South-West Monsoon is evident from the fact that sometimes parts of the country may be facing fury of floods due to
heavy rains, mostly in the plains, while the other parts may be reeling under severe drought conditions due to scanty rainfall; e.g., mostly
north-west Rajasthan and rain shadow areas of Deccan.

• (c) The most important aspect of Indian rainfall is that it is largely controlled by orography. The effects caused due to the Himalayas and the
Western Ghats on the amount and distribution of rainfall and the inability of the Aravalis to cause rainfall in Rajasthan has been discussed
earlier. Thus, India would have been a vast desert but for the size and position of the Himalayas and the Western Ghats India has varied
relief features.

• (d) Due to the local variations of heat and moisture during the months of October and November, tropical depressions (low pressure
systems) originate at the head of the Bay of Bengal. These are local depressions and, therefore, whenever the temperature crosses 42°C to
43°C, convectional rainfall occurs. This is more common in south India especially on the eastern coast.

• (e) In spite of all-round development, India still remains an agricultural country and a major part of its economy depends on the intensity of
monsoons. All the hydroelectric projects, the perennial and non-perennial rivers of north and south, canals, wells, lakes and irrigation
projects all over India are affected in case of failure of monsoons.

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20
  These winds do not bring rains to Ganga and
The As isotherm
January a result,
they proceed is after ofhigh
the crossing
coldest20°C runs
pressure
the month
Bay of Bengal
TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS OVER THE LAND:
in when
builds east-west
gathering the on
up direction
temperature
the
enough land in
moisture. wi
As they
(a) Temperature Conditions in the North: roughly
strike
Gangetic
low
the Plain
pressure parallel
Coromandal varies Coast
centeredtoon
from the
eastern
2.5°C
on
India,

THE COLD SEASON OR THE NORTH-EAST

Tamil Nadu and tip of Andhra Pradesh get
The northern parts of the country have Tropic
the heavy ofrainfall,
water Cancer
to 17.5°C.
bodies
by stormy andwinds. divide
They cause
a2. 3.Pressure
mean Rainfall Conditions
during
temperature belowthe21°C and
Cold
and  India
surrounding
The
climatically
heavy damage
night
to standing means
the
temperature
.In the of transport.
peninsula.falls
MONSOON SEASON(DECEMBER TO MARCH
much lower in Himachal Pradesh,
WindSeason:
Directions:
Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and
southTamil
AsThesuch,
below
Nadu
of
rainfall
temperatures
hilly
receives
this
freezing
areas.
isoffshore
highest
start blowing towards low
Topput- turai, Dras
nearly
rainfall
isotherm
point
during
winds
in many
at Nagapattinam
always
100valley
cm, but
the winter
the
in
goes
and
on
AsDuring
Haryana. dry offshore,
discussed earlier North-East
due to the remainKashmir
pressure above
decreasing rapidly
near
areas 21°C
in land
Kargil as and
is thein in
it
centered
reaches the
interior
coldest giving
placeonly 3-4 in cm decreasing
India withrapidly
apparent
(b) Monsoon
(b) movement
Winds
Temperature Conditionsof in
blow pressurethe Sun
region
the extreme
the
Winter Bay insouth
rainfallBengal. above
the North-West: In the north,
minimum temperature recorded

WINTER SEASON
towards South,shining directly  as 25degree
even though the skyin is January,
generally clear, the spell
toSouth:
low The areas
pressure, south of at
centered Haryana
the theand
Bay These -45°C.
of fine
winds
weather It iswould
temperature often
do notbyblow
have
brokenat
been
light rainfall
Northern Plains
overhead at thesouth of the
Tropic of Tropic of ,
Capricorn towards
much occurthe
whichcolder duebut toArabian
offor the
rainfall Se
to great
Karnataka
Cancer remain ofwarm
Bengal.
and do receives
not have Thiruvananthapuram
because
rangePlateauofwesterly of depressions
Himalayas the Deccan is
or Temperate
shielding
the Indian Subcontinent cyclones 31°C
originating in the Mediterranean
distinctly defined winter weather. the subcontinent
Plateau. Hence, from they the are cold,Sea.
oblique rays of sunlight during winter.  In winter
the
The precipitation is in the form of snow in
highercoastal region, too,and
forced winds
to
regions blow from
of Jammu viaSiberia.
andIndo-
Kashmir
 there
However, is very many
Himachal littleplaces chan
Pradesh. in the inthe
Gangetic
 Theynorthernmost
give up to
Plain
10 to 15
towards
parts
cm of
rainfall to Punjab,
range
Bay of of
Bengal.temperature. As these
Haryana and Uttar
Himalayas experience heavy Pradesh as they proceed
Temperature
winds blow
eastward causing
snowfall which
remains
from
cold wave in
results north
the abo east
insurrounding
cold
have distinctly regions. defined
 to Thissouth-west
wave enveloping
rainfall is cyclonic rain theyand isare
the beneficial to
winter
called surrounding
the weatherNorth-E areasprart
crops, especially wheat and barley.
of
southern
Punjab,Haryana
Monsoon. 21°C throughout and Northern
the Plain year.

12/13/2024
21
 CHARACTERISTIC FEATURE OF NORTH-EAST MONSOON OR WINTER
SEASON:

SEASON:
NORTH-EAST MONSOON OR WINTER
C H A R A C T E R I S T I C F E AT U R E O F
(a) This is the season when North-East Monsoon takes over from the South-West
Monsoon. Unlike the South-West Monsoon, the onset of the North-East Monsoon
is not so clearly defined.
(b) A characteristic feature of the cold weather season is the inflow of western
disturbances originating from Mediterranean sea. The frequency of these
disturbances is 4 to6 per month between December and January. Winter rainfall
is caused by the depressions that are associated with the western disturbances
moving out from the Mediterranean Sea
• They give up to 10 to 15 cm rainfall to Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and
Western Uttar Pradesh, as they proceed eastward, causing cold wave and
snowfall in surrounding regions around western Himalayas. Mediterranean sea.

(c) The rabi crops wheat in north-west India and rice in Tamil Nadu, depend on
winter rainfall. Hence, it is of great economic importance affecting the
production of these crops.
(d) The cold weather season in the country is generally marked by fine cool
weather, low humidity and large variation in the range of temperature.

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ANNUAL DISTRIBUTION OF RAINFALL
In India, where the temperature conditions are ideal enough to grow various crops, it is the availability of water that determines the agricultural pattern of crops and their productivity Therefore,
the total annual rainfall and the number of rainy months of an area are very significant for the two crop seasons of India. i.e., rabi and kharif. Hence, we can divide India into four major rainfall
regions. However, the following three factors determine this distribution are:
(a) The direction of the moisture-laden winds
(b) The relief features : Himalayas in the north, north- east and Western Ghats in the west.
(C) (c) The passage followed by cyclonic depressions, which is determined by existing low pressure and high pressure conditions on the land. During summer and winter, over 70% of the annual
rainfall over India is recorded during the rainy season by South-west Monsoon.

Areas with overwith

Areas 200 50
cm-of rain:
100 cm rainfall
Areas Areaswithwith less-than
100 200 50cmcmrainfall
rainfall –
(a)(a) North of North
In the Tropic –of Cancer Areas:
(а) In
Inthe
the North
North –of Cancer –
i) i)b)(i) South
southern
Areas
Areas :
:
ofUpper
Tropic
slopes
Middle
of eastern
Ganga
GangaValley,Himalayas
eastern Rajasthan.
Valley.
Areas : Western Rajasthan, southern Punjab and northernmost partGhats
of Kashmir.
ii) ii)Areas
The : Western
States : Parts slopes
gharo,khasi,jaintia
of of the
hill
Punjab, Western
Haryana and
States : Bihar, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
Ghats or windward
Kashmir with very side
shortofrainy
Western
season. comprising Konkan
(a) Inand theMalabar
South – coast.
iii)(a)Lushia
In the
b)In Hills
theSouth, coomonly known as Assam Hills
South:
States: Areas
Western : Regions of the Deccan in the rain shadow of and
Western Ghats.
Areas
States :Areas :coastal
: Meghalaya,
Southernplains
Assam, ofWest
Deccan Kerala, Maharashtra,
Bengal,
comprising BangladeshGoa
the plateau and Karnataka.
Arunachal
regions Pradesh.
of Karnataka.
Northern part of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
Note:States
Mawsynram,
: Andhrasituated
Pradesh, 16Telangana
km from and Tamil and
Cherrapunji southernstate
in Meghalaya
Nadu. parts of Tamil
receives Nadu, annual
the highest Parts of Western
Ghats and eastern Ghats
rainfall in the world. (1187.3 cm)
States : Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.