Climate Questions (Board)

1) Name 2 important features of the Indian Monsoon.

 Rainfall is erratic and unpredictable. Erratic because the amount of rainfall varies from year to year. The arrival
and retreat of monsoon is unpredictable.
 Rainfall is unevenly distributed as it is mostly orographic in nature. There is flood in some places while drought in
others.
2) Name any 2 states that receive rain in January- February. What causes this rain?
 Tamil Nadu – due to its peculiar configuration
 Punjab – due to western disturbances
3) Give 2 reasons why Jaipur has a higher annual range of temperature than Mumbai?
 Jaipur has a Continental location
 It is a desert
4) Which winds are responsible for the rainfall experienced over the greater part of the Indian subcontinent?
During which months of the year is this experienced?
South West Monsoon winds; June to September
5) Why is the diurnal range of temperature greater at Bikaner than at Panjim?
Due to maritime climate near the sea and extreme climate in a continental location
Diurnal range –reason always continental/maritime location
6) India has varied climatic conditions. Give reason
 Large latitudinal extent (8°4´N to 37°6´N) causing tropical and sub-tropical type of climate
 Various relief features such as plateaus, mountains, lakes, rivers etc.
7) Shillong gets less than 200cm of rainfall in a year while Cherrapunji receives more than 1250cm of rain. Give
one reason.
Cherrapunji lies on the windward side of the Khasi hills while Shillong lies on the leeward side
8) Name the season during which the North East trade winds dominate the Indian sub-continent. In which
season do these winds get completely reversed and name the four months covered by this season?
Cold weather season; June to September
9) How are the sources of rainfall in the north western part of India different from rainfall experienced on the
coastal areas of Eastern India in winter?
North Western part – Western disturbances
Eastern India – N.E. Monsoon Winds
10) Name the place in India which receives the heaviest rainfall. In which state is it located? Name the winds
responsible for this rainfall.
Mawsynaram – Meghalaya – Bay of Bengal branch of the SW monsoon wind
11) Give two reasons why ‘Thar’ is a desert.
 scanty rainfall is shed over western Rajasthan
 this branch loses its moisture as it mixes with the hot dry air from Balochistan
12) Name one part of India which receives rain in both summer and winter.
Coromandel Coast
13) Why does much of Central Maharashtra have light rainfall?
Continental or landlocked location
14) Rainfall in India is orographic in nature. Give an example with reference to the distribution of rainfall and the
effect of relief
Mahabaleswar lies on the windward side of the Western chats and receives heavy rainfall from the Arabian Sea branch
of the SW Monsoon winds while Pune lies on the same side of the mountain range but on the leeward (or rain shadow)
area due to which is receives scanty rainfall
15) a) Mention 2 weather conditions which are associated with break and burst of monsoon.
 Thunder and lightning and heavy rainfall - ‘burst of monsoon’.

 The dry spells - ‘Break in Monsoon’

 b) Name two states which are affected by Kalbaisakhi?
West Bengal and Jharkhand
16) Chennai gets more rain in winter than summer. Give reasons
 The Tamil Nadu Coast receives meagre amounts of rainfall as it lies on the leeward side of the Arabian Sea Branch.
This is why Chennai receive less rainfall in summer.
 .It receives rainfall in winter as it is located in Tamil Nadu which receives winter rain from the NE winds due to its
peculiar configuration
17) What are western disturbances? Name two areas receiving rain from them. Write any one benefit of the
Western Disturbance.
During this season, parts of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir get about 10-15cm of rainfall brought by westerly
depressions which originate in the Mediterranean region. They are also referred to as Western Disturbances. This
precipitation is very beneficial to the wheat crop of the Punjab.
18) Mumbai receives rainfall in summer while Chennai receives it October to December. Explain Why?
Mumbai lies on the windward side of the Western Ghats so it receives summer rainfall from the Arabian Sea branch of
the SW monsoon winds. Chennai lies in Tamil Nadu which receives rain in winter from the NE monsoon winds due to
its peculiar configuration
19) How do the Summer Monsoon winds originate?
 The Indian landmass gets heated to a very great extent leading to the development of an intense low pressure zone
extending from Rajasthan to Odisha. This area of low pressure is called the Monsoon Trough.
 The ocean on the other hand remains relatively cold. A high pressure area exists over it.
 The low pressure over the land is intense enough to attract the SE trade winds from over the Indian Ocean even in the
Southern hemisphere.
 Thus the South East Trades which are the prevailing wind over the Southern Hemisphere are attracted into India.
 When the South East Trades cross the Equator, they are deflected towards the right due to the Coriolis Effect and they
blow into India as the South West Monsoon winds.

20) Name any two local winds that blow over India and write briefly about each.
 Bardoichila- These are Norwesters in Assam. They occur when the cool dry wind from the Himalayas meet the warm
moist air rising from the Brahmaputra plains. The rain benefits the tea crop of Assam.
 Mango showers- The coastal parts of Kerala and Karnataka rain occurs. They are called cherry blossoms in Karnataka.
The rainfall is beneficial for ripening of mangoes and growing of tea and coffee crops.

21) How does the Himalayas act as a climate divide?

It is called a climate divide because it separates two distinct climatic types. Sub-tropical climate, south of the
Himalayas and Cold temperate climate north of the Himalayas.

22) What are the characteristics of tropical Monsoon Climate?

 The climate is influenced by the seasonal reversal of monsoon winds. The South west monsoon in summer and the
North East monsoon in winter.
 It has 4 distinct seasons
23) Mention 2 difference in climatic conditions which prevail over Kerala and Uttar Pradesh in June?
Uttar Pradesh has a continental location so it experiences continental type of climate while Kerela which lies near the
coast experiences maritime or moderate climate. The annual range of temp. Is more that 100C in Uttar Pradesh while
it is less than 100C is Kerela?

24) Western coastal plain receives more rain than eastern coastal plain. Explain Why? (In paper question will
be more precise)
Western coastal plains – The Western Ghats block the S.W. monsoon winds bringing rain
Eastern coastal plains – The Eastern Ghats are parallel to the S.W. monsoon winds so they don’t block the monsoon
bearing winds thus not bringing rain

Numericals in TB + done on a sheet