Geography of India:

Climate of India
• India’s climate closely resembles the climate that of a tropical country
although its northern part (north of tropic of cancer) is situated in the
temperate belt.

• The Indian subcontinent is separated from the rest of Asia by the lofty
Himalayan ranges which block the cold air masses moving southwards
from Central Asia.
• As a result, during winters, the northern half of India is warmer by 3°C to
8°C than other areas located on the same latitudes.
• Thus, the whole of India, south of the Himalayas can be climatically treated
as a tropical country.
• The seasonal reversal of winds in Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal give India
a typical monsoon climate.
 Geography of India:
Climate of India
• Thus, Indian climate, to be precise, is tropical monsoon type (a distinct wet
and dry climate) rather than just a tropical or half temperate climate.
• Climate of India may be divided into four seasons-

1) Winter - From December to February(winter rains)

2) Summer - From March to May

3) South-West monsoons or rainy season - June to September

4) Retreating monsoons - October and November(tropical cyclones

Rainfall in India

• Mainly from SW Monsoon June – September

– Quantity of Rainfall decrease from east to west

– The South-West Monsoons control the agriculture of India, which is

the main occupation of the people.

– It strikes the Indian mainland around 1 June near the Malabar Coast
of Kerala.

• WINTER- RAINFALL- occur due to-

1) NE Monsoons: Coromandal Coast : The north-eastern winter
monsoon does not cause much rainfall except along the Coromandel
coast (TN coast) after getting moisture from the Bay of Bengal.
2) Western disturbances: Important for Rabi crops
– Change of weather condition due to the entering of Temperate
cyclone in India is known as Western Disturbance.
– After developing at or around the Mediterranean sea, temperate
cyclones, under the influence of westerlies, enters India from
North West direction.
 Geography of India:
Climate of India
– They move eastwards across the sub-Himalayan belt up to
Arunachal Pradesh.
– Rainfall through Western Disturbance decreases from West to
east direction.
– They cause light rain as drizzle in the Indus-Ganga plains and
snowfall in the Himalayan belt.
– It also brings widespread fog and cold waves lowering the
minimum temperature by 5° to 10°C below normal are
experienced.

3) Tropical cyclones

– The frequency of tropical cyclones decreases with the

advancement of the season.
– This is due to low sea surface temperature and exit of ITCZ
farthest south.
– The storms which are born in the Bay of Bengal strike Tamil Nadu
and bring heavy rainfall.
– Some of them cross the southern peninsula over to the Arabian
Sea.
– Some storms originate in the Arabian Sea and move towards
either north or west.

Pre-monsoon Showers

• Mango Showers: Kerala and Karnataka

• Cherry Blossoms: Karnataka(local thunder storm)

• Norwester: Assam and West Bengal

 Geography of India:
Climate of India
• Tea Showers and Barodoli Chheerha: In Assam

• Kalabaisakhis: West Bengal

The Indian Monsoon

• South West Monsoon Season – June to mid-September.

• From Arabic word ‘mausim’ means seasonal reversal of winds along the
shore of the Indian ocean.

Mechanism of Monsoon
• Mechanism not fully discovered.
According to Edmund Halley(1686): Monsoon winds are the extension of
Land and sea breeze.
According to Thermal Concept,
• During summer season, landmass of the Indian subcontinent heats up
and develops low pressure. This low pressure attracts the winds from
the Indian Ocean.
• These winds while moving from the sea carries water vapour which
condense and precipitate over the land causing rainfall.
• But other concepts also flows
The Dynamic Concept
• The intensity of Indian monsoon depends upon the how strong the
LP zones are developed over or near the Subcontinent except over
Bay of Bengal.

Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone(ITCZ)

• Equatorial low pressure zone where trade winds from both the
hemisphere converge and rises up.
• Creating Low pressure Zone
• It shifts with the north and south shifting of the Sun.
• During May and Junes month the sun reaches near to the Tropic of
Cancer.
 Geography of India:
Climate of India
• Intensive heat leads to the formation of low pressure zone over the land
area.
• This low pressure zone is also called as the Monsoon Trough.

• ITCZ shifts upto the 30° N latitude. Covering whole of South and S E Asia.
• Attracts SE trade winds form the SH.
• SE Trade winds now need to travel more to reach ITCZ(low pressure
zone)
 Geography of India:
Climate of India
• SE trade wind cross the equator become SW Monsoon winds.
• It carries water vapour from the Indian Ocean which condense and
precipitate over the Indian subcontinent.

Jet Stream(Polar Front)

• Fast moving narrow air currents found in upper atmosphere.
• Flows west to east direction
• Found
– in summer over 35° -45° latitude
– In Winter over 20°- 35° latitude
– i.e. it shifts towards equator during winter and toward poles
during summer
• Westerly Jet stream effects the arrival of Monsoon over the Indian
Subcontinent.
• Westerly Jet stream while passing over the Himalayas bifurcated in to
two.
• Its southern branch flows to the south of the Himalayas.
• Its shift towards north only allows the monsoon to enter into the
subcontinent.
– In the month of May or June, it shifts towards pole attracts
monsoon winds.
 Geography of India:
Climate of India

Intensive heating of Tibet Plateau

• Vast highland present in the north of Indian Subcontinent.
• This plateau intensively heated during summer.
• Formation of strong low pressure condition over the plateau.

• It result in strong vertical air currents.

• This strong LP over the plateau help in shifting of Jet stream toward the
pole
• This shifting attract the Indian Monsoon.
 Geography of India:
Climate of India
Burst of Monsoon
• the Sudden and Abrupt arrival of Indian monsoon in the Indian
Subcontinent
• accompanied by the turbulent weather
• along the Malabar coast
El nino effect over Monsoon

• Related to Pacific Ocean

Normal Monsoon:
– Warm water present on the western part of Pacific Ocean near
Philippine, Northern Australia
– Presence of Cold Water current along the coast of South America
near Peru.
– Develops low pressure over the western pacific ocean
– And strong monsoon winds attracted.
• Presence of Warm water current along the coast of Peru
• Presence of cold water along the coast of Philippine and north of
Australia
• Development of High pressure over the western pacific region
• Weakening of Monsoon
 Geography of India:
Climate of India

The Tamil Nadu coast remains relatively dry during the south-west monsoon
period because of

1. rain shadow effect of the Arabian Sea current and

2. Bay of Bengal current which flows parallel to the coast.

Important Characteristics of South West Monsoon Rainfall

• A major part of monsoon rains is received between June and September.

• Monsoonal rainfall is largely governed by relief and is orographic in its
mode.
• The amount of rainfall decreases with increasing distance from the sea.
• The rainless interval during south-west monsoon season is known as
monsoon breaks.
• There are large scale spatial variations in the distribution of rainfall.
 Geography of India:
Climate of India
• Monsoons often fail to keep the date/irratic in nature. Sometimes the
monsoons withdraw before the scheduled time causing considerable
damage to the crops.

Arabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengal branch.

• Monsoon winds beyond south Kerala progress in the form of two branches
viz. the Arabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengal branch.
• Bay of Bengal Branch is more stronger.