Presented by,

Akash
Satyajeet
Sarath
Jewel
Merin
Ubaid
 The normal annual rainfall of Kerala is 3,107
mm
 On an average the number of rainy days is in
the range of 120-140 in a year
 annual yield of water in Kerala in a normal
year is around 7,030 crores cubic metres
 The utilizable water resource is around 4,200
crore cubic metres.
 Two principal rainy season
 South-west monsoon (June ,September)
 North-east monsoon (October , November)
 75% of the annual rainfall during the south-
west monsoon
 25% of the annual rainfall during the south-
east monsoon
 75% of the annual rainfall during the south-
west monsoon in north kerla
 Main rainy season
 75% of annual rain contribution
 Begins by the end of May or early june
 next few months are periods of torrential rain
 In western Ghat max rain
 The southwest monsoon in Kerala lasts till the
end of September
 Also known as the Retreating Monsoon or the
Reverse monsoons
 northeast monsoon hits Kerala during the
return of the southwest monsoon winds
 Starts from October and ends in December
 Heavy afternoon rains accompanied by
thunder and lightening
 Days are warm and humid but there is not
much variation in temperature.
 South West Monsoon in Kerala :
 Average Temperature during this season :

Maximum : 30°C
Minimum : 19°C

 Average Rainfall during the season :

2250 - 2500 mm
 North East Monsoon in Kerala:
 Average Temperature:

Maximum : 35°C
Minimum  : 29°C
 Average Rainfall during the season :

450 - 500 mm
 monsoon rainfall progresses from south to
north along the west coast
 South-west monsoon the primary rain-giving
season
 North Kerala is in the cyclonic shear area of the
Low level Jet during this monsoon
 south Kerala is in the anti cyclonic shear zone
 under weak monsoon conditions there is
divergence over south Kerala causing little or
no rain
 There is convergence resulting in rain over
north Kerala on many occasions.
 25 to 30% of the annual rainfall during the pre-
monsoon and north-east monsoon season
 Precipitation during pre-monsoon is mainly
from thundershowers
 increased thunderstorm activity in the
southern tip of Kerala state during this period
 March onwards this increases progressively
with the advance of the season
 May makes the maximum contribution to the
rainfall of the pre-monsoon period
 south-west monsoon advances over south
Kerala between 11th and 31st May
 This is a contributory factor for the pronounced
rainfall maximum over south Kerala during
this season
 Most of the rainfall during north-east monsoon

is closely associated with the westward passage

of storms and depressions
 The tapering shape of the peninsula

and the lower elevation of the Western Ghats in

the south are the main reasons for rainfall during
this season in south Kerala.
 The meteorology of Kerala is profoundly
influenced by its orography.
 heavy annual rainfall (> than336 cm) areas are

located on the windward slope of the Ghats

 On the windward side of mountains moist air

is forced up the slope

 it cools and condenses, leading to precipitation
 These peaks also provide convection points of
instability
 This instability will be triggered when the or

graphic lifting is strong enough to force air

parcels to ascend to their level of free
convection
 Thus heavy rainfall over the windward

slopes depends on stability

 It also depends on wind velocity perpendicular
to the mountain range and on the moist static
stability.
Other Factors:-
 Punalur, a station in south Kerala, is

surrounded by rocky terrain on its four sides

and this station experiences very high
thunderstorm activity.
 Areas lie on the leeward slope of the Ghats and
stations situated in the Palghat Gap receive
very less mean annual rainfall(< 224)
 Air flowing across a mountain range will be
forced upwards
 it cools and produces local precipitation
 When the air reaches the other side of the
range, it's been effectively wrung out and
tends to be dry
 lack of direct relationship between the height of
a station and its rainfall
 There are high altitude stations that receive
below normal rainfall
 Vythiri (945 m) experiences heavy rainfall
 Kuttiyadi (20 m) lie on the windward slope of
the Western Ghats experience heavy rainfall
 both the stations are situated at markedly
different elevations
 The spatial variability of mean annual
precipitation depends upon the topographic
factors
 Factors are exposure of the station to the
prevailing wind, elevation, orientation and
slope of the mountain
 Manathavady, a high altitude station (900 m),
also situated on the windward slope of the
mountains in north Kerala, receives
comparatively less rainfall
 Nerimangalam (200 m) receives very heavy
rainfall during south-west monsoon,
 Kumily (1140 m)situated on the windward
valley of the Anamalai receives below normal
rainfall
 Isolation heats the peaks much faster

than the valleys below which are shaded by the

mountains
 Vandanmettu in Anamalai, a high altitude
station(900 m) lying in a valley which receives
relatively less of rainfall.
 Southern Hill top Tropical Evergreen Forest:
• This type of forest abounds in the Andamans
and Western Ghats
• reaching to a maximum height of only 10 m
• Locality factors:
• High winds, less favourable soil and climatic
conditions restrict the formation of a climax
• Rainfall is usually high, over 4500 mm
 Enjoys a wide distribution over the Western
Ghats
 These are dense evergreen forests with lofty
trees of 45 m or more height.
 It is seen in an altitudinal range of about 250-
1200 m
 The rainfall varies from 1500-5000mm.
 wet evergreen forests are mostly confined to
the windward side of the WG
 low (0-800m), medium (800-1450m) and high
(1400-1800m) altitude
 The medium elevation forests in some places
may appear at lower elevation (650 m ) due to
local variations in the moisture and exposure.
 the rainfall is above 2000mm.
 Primary deciduous forests are found in isolated
patches between the Anamalai and Wayanad
plateaus
 Denser part of this type is the form of
woodland and savanna woodland
 The rainfall varies from 875 mm –1125mm on
dry sites and soils
 49 rain-fed rivers with copious tributaries and
distributaries flowing through Kerla
 They evolve from Western Ghats and rush
towards the west into the Arabian Sea
 All these rivers are rain-fed, non-perrenial
Rivers that are short and are transformed into
streams during summer season
 Southwest (SW) monsoon is the major source
of discharge for northern rivers
 The percentage discharge during SW monsoon
decreases steadily from north to south
 The percentage discharge during SW monsoon
decreases steadily from north to south
 the northeast (NE) monsoon yields about 14 %
discharge for the rivers from NZ, whereas the
percentage increases to 32 % for the SZ rivers
 The Muvattupuzha river shows 23 % yield
during non-monsoon season
Thank You