Climate

Quickly browse through questions and notes on related topics. You can also download and read this topic offline.

• Questions
• Summary

The monsoon type of climate is characterised by a distinct seasonal pattern. 

The weather conditions greatly change from one season to the other. The coastal areas do not experience much variation in temperature though there is variation in rainfall pattern.

Four main seasons can be identified in India:'

1. Cold weather season
2. Hot weather season
3. Advancing monsoon
4. Retreating monsoon with some regional variations. 

1. The inflow of the south-west monsoon into India brings about a total change in the weather.
2. Early in the season, the windward side of the Western Ghats receives very heavy rainfall, more than 250 cm.
3. The Deccan Plateau and parts of Madhya Pradesh also receive some amount of rain in spite of lying in the rain shadow area.
4. The maximum rainfall of this season is received in the north-eastern part of the country.
5. Mawsynram in the southern ranges of the Khasi Hills receives the highest average rainfall in the world.
6. Rainfall in the Ganga valley decreases from the east to the west. Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat get scanty rainfall.

1. By the beginning of October, the monsoon withdraws from the Northern Plains. The months of October, November form a period of transition from hot rainy season to dry winter conditions.
2. The retreat of the monsoon is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature. While day temperatures are high, nights are cool and pleasant.
3. In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly in northern India. The low-pressure conditions, over northwestern India, get transferred to the Bay of Bengal by early November.
4. This shift is associated with the occurrence of cyclonic depressions, which originate over the Andaman Sea.
5. These cyclones generally cross the eastern coasts of India cause heavy and widespread rain.
6. These tropical cyclones are often very destructive. The thickly populated deltas of the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri are frequently struck by cyclones, which cause great damage to life and
   property.
7. Sometimes, these cyclones arrive at the coasts of Orissa, West Bengal and Bangladesh. The bulk of the rainfall of the Coromandel Coast is derived from depressions and cyclones.

1. The cold weather season begins from mid- November in northern India and stays till February.
2. December and January are the coldest months in the northern part of India.
3. The temperature decreases from south to the north.
4. The average temperature of Chennai, on the eastern coast, is between 24° - 25° Celsius, while in the northern plains, it ranges between 10° - 15° Celsius.
5. In the north and the higher slopes of the Himalayas experience snowfall.
6. The northeast trade winds blow from land to sea and hence, for most part of the country, it is a dry season.
7. Some amount of rainfall occurs on the Tamil Nadu coast from these winds as,here they blow from sea to land.
8. The weather is normally marked by clear sky, low temperatures and low humidity and feeble variable winds.
9. A characteristic feature of the cold weather season over the northern plains is a the inflow of cyclonic disturbances from the west and the northwest.
10. They cause the much- needed winter rains over the plains and snowfall in the mountains.
11. Total amount of winter rainfall locally known as ‘mahawat’ is small; they are of . immense importance for the cultivation of ‘rabi’ crops.
12. The peninsular region does not have well- defined cold season.

1. Due to the apparent northward movement of the sun, the global heat belt shifts northward.
2. As such, from March to May, it is hot weather season in India.
3. The influence of the shifting of the heat belt can be seen clearly from temperature recordings taken during March-May at different latitudes.
4. In March, the highest temperature is about 38° Celsius, recorded on the Deccan plateau.
5. In April, temperatures in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are around 42° Celsius.
6. In May, the temperature of 45° Celsius is common in the northwestern parts of the country.
7. In peninsular India, temperatures remain lower due to the moderating influence of the oceans.
8. The summer months experience rising temperature and falling air pressure in the northern part of the country.
9. A striking feature of the hot weather season is the ‘loo’. These are strong, gusty, hot, dry winds blowing during the day over the north and northwestern India.