CLIMATE OF INDIA

LESSON OBJECTIVES

• Learning intention- Understand the relationships between the global,

the regional and the local geographical processes and its impact on the
human lifestyle .
Success criterion
• Understand the climatic diversity in India
• Analyze the factors that affect the climate of India
• Corelate various geographical phenomenon to understand the climate of
India .  
CLIMATE OF INDIA
• Climate of India is mainly dominated by its
position and its relief.

• The Himalayas play a protective role of

blocking cold winds from the north and not
allowing the rain bearing monsoons to
cross over.

• It’s unique position in the northern

hemisphere, surrounded by water body on
three sides creates a unique weather system
the monsoons, giving it a distinctive name
in Asia “The Monsoon India”.

• This unique system also benefits a number

of neighbouring countries in South Asia.
 Drass -450C in
December night

Tawang 190C in
550C temperature in June

DIVERSITY IN June

Thar desert Diurnal

THE CLIMATE OF Jaisalmer receives

range of
temperature 300C

9cm rainfall Cherrapunji &

Mawsynram have

INDIA 1080cm rain

Tiruvanantapuram &
Chennai 200C in Kerela Diurnal
December night range of
temperature 80C

Monsoon is the unifying factor

 LATITUDINAL EXTENT
• Latitudinal extent - The angle of incidence of sun’s rays
goes on decreasing from the equator towards the poles.
Higher the angle of incidence, higher is the temperature.
Similarly, lower the angle of incidence, lower is the
temperature. Tropic of Cancer divides India into 2 equal
halves. Southern part is in tropical zone and the Northern
half is in sub- tropical zone. This is why the temperature
is higher near the tropical regions and decreases towards
the North.
 DISTANCE FROM THE SEA
• Distance from the sea - Areas near the coast have equable
or maritime climate. On the contrary, interior
locations are deprived of the moderating influence of the
sea and experience extreme or continental climate. There
are also seasonal variations in the temperature of land and
sea. During summer, the air above land has a higher
temperature than the oceans. That is why summer
monsoon blowing from sea sheds rain on the land as they
carry lots of moisture from sea
DISTANCE FROM
THE SEA
• Gujarat
• Maharashtra
• Goa
• Karnataka
• Kerala
• Tamil Nadu
• Odisha
• West Bengal
 ALTITUDE

• Altitude - The temperature

in the troposphere goes on
decreasing with increase in
height.

• Temperature decreases at
an average rate of nearly 1
degree Celsius per 165 m
of ascent, which is known
as Normal Lapse Rate
 HIMALAYAS

• The Himalayan ranges - India is separated from the rest of Asia

by the impenetrable wall of the Himalayan
mountain ranges. These ranges protect India from the bitterly
cold and dry winds of Central Asia during
winter. Further, these mountain ranges act as an effective
physical barrier for rain bearing south-west
monsoon winds to cross the northern frontiers of India.
 Cold
Wav
e
Cold
Wav
e
d
n Win
o
Cold
so
Wav
e
Mon ind
o nW
Cold
s o
Wav
e
Mon
ind
o o nW
s
Mon ind
o o nW
s
Mon
THE HIMALAYAS-
CLIMATIC BARRIER
 Hot & Dry season

WINDS Mar - May

f C an cer
Tropic o
45°C
H P b el t
LP b Trop i ca l
Su
40° - 45°C
35° - 40°C

qu a tor ial
E
ITC LP belt
Z
H
 SW monsoon
June - Sept

Ca nc e r
ITCZ of
45°C Tropic

LP
35° - 40°C
Bay of
Arabian Sea Bengal
Branch Branch or
Eq uat

H
 RELIEF
Relief features other than the Himalayas- The south-west
monsoon winds from the Arabian sea strike almost
perpendicular at the Western Ghats and cause heavy rainfall in
the Western Coastal plain and the western slopes of the
Western Ghats. On the contrary, vast areas of Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu lie in rain shadow
or lee ward side of the Western Ghats and receive scanty
rainfall.
 RELIEF

Western
Receives high
rainfall

d G
hat Mt.
in
W d
on in
nso W d
o on in
M
nso W Receives low
o on
M
on
so rainfall
M
CYCLONIC SYSTEMS
 Explain Why
1. The place at yellow dot will be cooler than 2. The settlement shown in the picture will have
the place at blue dot? equable climate?
Explain why
 Upper air circulation (Jet Stream)
. They move eastward at altitudes of about 8 to 15 kilometers (5 to 9 miles). They form where
large temperature differences exist in the atmosphere. Jet streams in the upper air system
influence the Indian climate in the

(i) Subtropical Jet Stream:

Located south of the Himalayas at 25° N
It draws in temperate cyclone /Western disturbance

(ii) Easterly Jet:

It is centred around 15°N latitude and blowing over peninsular India.
This help in the sudden onset of the south-west monsoons.
 EL NINO
ENSO stands for El Nino Southern Oscillation. When the cold Humboldt
Current
flows, high pressure exists over the eastern part of the Pacifc Ocean and
low pressure over the Indian Ocean. This results in a strong monsoon and
normal rainfall in India. At times, this cold current is replaced temporarily,
by the warm El Nino. This warm current can increase the sea surface
temperature by 10°C and weaken the monsoon in India. Southern
oscillation is a patern of sea surface pressure changes observed between the
Indian and the Pacifc Oceans. In this case, low pressure is observed over
the eastern Pacifc Ocean and high pressure is observed over the Indian
Ocean
• Shimla is cooler than Chennai. Why?
• Humidity is higher in Kolkata than Nagpur.
Why?