CLIMATE OF INDIA

WHAT DO WE LEARN
IN THE CHAPTER
CLIMATE?
1) THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS

THAT PREVAIL OVER OUR COUNTRY

2)DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEATHER
AND CLIMATE
3)TROPICAL MONSOON TYPE OF
CLIMATE
4) CLIMATIC CONTROLS
5) FACTORS AFFECTING INDIAS
CLIMATE
6)THE MECHANISM OF INDIAN
MONSOON
7)THE SEASONS
8)MONSOON AS A UNIFYING BOND

WEATHER
AND
CLIMATE

Climate refers to the sum total of weather

conditions and variations over a large area for a
long period of time (more than thirty years)
Weather refers to the state of the atmosphere
over an area at any point of time.
The elements of weather and climate are the
same, i.e. temperature, atmospheric pressure,
wind, humidity and precipitation.
The weather conditions fluctuate very often even
within a day.
On the basis of the generalized monthly
atmospheric conditions, the year is divided into
seasons such as winter, summer, or rainy
seasons.

TROPICAL MONSOON
TYPE
The word monsoon is derived from the Arabic word
mausim which means season.
Monsoon refers to the seasonal reversal in the wind
direction during a year.
In Asia this type of climate is found in the south and
the southeast.
In summer the temperature of some parts of Rajasthan
desert is 50 degree C. Whereas it may be 20 degree C
in Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir.
On a winter night, temperature
at Drass in Jammu & Kashmir may be
as low as -45 degree.
Tiruvanantapuram,
on the other hand,
may have a temperature of 22
degree C.

 There are variations not only in the form

and types of precipitation but also in its
amount and the seasonal distribution
Precipitation is mostly in the form of
snowfall in the upper parts of Himalayas, it
rains over the rest of the country.
The annual precipitation varies from over
400 cm in Meghalaya to less than 10 cm in
Ladakh and western Rajasthan.
Most parts of the country receives rainfall
from June to September. But some parts
like the Tamil Nadu coast gets most of its
rain during October and November. There is
decrease in rainfall from east to west in the
Northern Plains

CLIMATIC CONTROLS
There are six major controls of the climate of any
place. They are: latitude, altitude, pressure and
wind system, distance from the sea
(continentality), ocean currents and relief features.
Due to the curvature of the earth, the amount of
solar energy received varies according to
LATITUDE. As a result, air temperature generally
decreases from the equator towards the poles. As
one goes from the surface of the earth to higher
ALTITUDES, the atmosphere becomes less dense
and temperature decreases. The hills are therefore
cooler during summers.

 The pressure and wind system of any area

depend on the latitude and altitude of the place.
Thus it influences the temperature and rainfall
pattern.
The sea exerts a moderating influence on
climate: as the distance from the sea increases,
its moderating influence decreases and the
people experience extreme weather conditions.
This is known as sentimentality.
Ocean currents along with onshore winds affect
the climate of the coastal areas. Any coastal area
with warm or cold currents flowing past it, will be
warmed or cooled if the winds are onshore.
RELIEF too plays a major role in determining the

RELIEF RAINFALL

Climate of a place.
High mountains act as barriers for cold or
hot winds; they may also cause
precipitation if they are high enough and
lie in the path of rain-bearing winds. The
leeward side of mountains remains
relatively dry.

FACTORS AFFECTING INDIAS

CLIMATE

THE INDIAN
MONSOON
The climate
of India is strongly influenced by
monsoon winds.
The monsoons are experienced in the tropical
area between 20 degree N and 20 degree S.
The differential heating and cooling of land
and sea
The shift of ITCZ
The presence of the high-pressure area, east of
Madagascar at 20 degree S over the Indian Ocean.
The Tibetan plateau gets heated during summer which results in
strong vertical air currents and the formation of low pressure over
the plateau at about 9 km above sea level
The movement of the westerly jet stream to the north of the
Himalayas and tropical easterly jet stream over the Indian
peninsula in summer
The change in the pressure conditions over the southern oceans
also affect the monsoons.

 Normally when the tropical eastern south Pacific Ocean

experiences high pressure, the tropical eastern Indian Ocean
experiences low pressure. But in certain years, there is a
reversal in the pressure conditions and the eastern Pacific
has lower pressure in comparison to the eastern Indian
Ocean.
This periodic change in pressure conditions is known as the
Southern Oscillation or SO. The difference in pressure over
Tahiti and Darwin is computed to predict the intensity of the
monsoons. If the pressure differences were negative, it
would mean below average and late monsoons.
A feature connected with the SO is the EL Nino event during
which a warm ocean current that flows past the Peruvian
Coast, in place of the cold Peruvian Current, every 2 to 5
years.
The changes in pressure conditions are connected to
the
El Nino. Hence, the phenomenon is known as ENSO
( El Nino Southern Oscillations)

The onset and withdrawal of

monsoon

The duration of the monsoon is between 100120 days from early June to mid- September.
The monsoon arrives at the southern tip of the
Indian peninsula by the first week of June.
It divides into two- the Arabian Sea branch
and the Bay of Bengal branch.
The lofty mountains causes the monsoon
winds to deflect towards the west over the
Ganga plains.
The Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal
branches of the monsoon merge over the
northwestern part of the Ganga plains.

 Delhi receives monsoon showers from the Bay

of Bengal branch by the end of June. UP,
Punjab, Haryana and eastern Rajasthan
experience the monsoon by the first week of
July and Himachal Pradesh by mid- July.
Withdrawal or the retreat of the monsoon
begins in north western states of India by
early .By early December, the monsoon has
withdrawn from the rest of the country.
The islands receive the very first monsoon
showers from south to north by the last week of
April to the first week of May.

The cold weather season

(winter)
Begins from mid- November in northern In and stays till

February.
December and January are the coldest months in northern
India and the temperature decreases from south to the north.
The average temperature of Chennai, on the east coast is
between is between 24 degree 25 degree Celsius, while in
the northern plains, it ranges between 10 degree 15 degree
Celsius.
Higher slopes of Himalayas experience snowfall and frost is
common in the north.
The northeast trade winds prevail over the country and blow
from land to sea and are dry winds. Some amount of rainfall
occurs on the Tamil Nadu coast from these winds as, they blow
from sea to land
The weather is marked by clear sky, low temperatures and low
humidity and feeble, variable winds.
The inflow of cyclonic disturbances from the west and the
northwest. These low-pressure systems, originate over the

 Mediterranean sea and western Asia and move into

India, along with the westerly flow. They cause winter
rain over plains and snowfall in the mountains. The
total amount of small rainfall known as Mahawat is
important for Rabi crop cultivation.
No well defined cold season in the peninsular region
due to moderating influence of the sea.

The hot weather season (summer)

March to May is the hot weather season due to the apparent
northward movement of the sun. The global heat belt shifts
northward.
The highest temperature in march is about 38 degree
Celsius
in Deccan plateau.
In peninsular India, temperatures remain lower due to the
moderating influence of the oceans.
The summer months experience rising temperature and
falling air pressure in the northern India.
loo is a strong, gusty, hot, dry winds blowing during the day
over the north and northwestern India.
In west Bengal these storms are known as the Kaal baisakhi.
At the end of the summer season, pre-monsoon showers are
common in Kerela and Karnataka which help in the early
ripening of mangoes and are known as mango showers.

Advancing Monsoon (Rainy

Season)
June to September are
the rainy season. By early June, the low-

pressure condition over the northern plains intensifies and

attracts, the trade winds of the southern hemisphere.
These south-east winds originate over the warm subtropical
areas of the southern oceans. They cross the equator and blow
in a south- westerly direction entering the Indian peninsula as
the south-west monsoon. These winds bring moisture as they
blow over warm oceans. They blow at an average velocity of 30
km per hour.
The windward side of the western Ghats receives very heavy
rainfall, more than 250 cm. Mawsynram in the southern ranges
of the khasi hills receives the highest average rainfall in the
world.
Tendency to have breaks in rainfall. Thus , it has wet and dry
spells.
The monsoon rains take place only for a few days at a time.
They are interspersed with rainless intervals. These breaks in
monsoon are related to the movement of the monsoon trough.
The trough and its axis keeps on moving northward or
southward, which determines the

 Spatial distribution of rainfall. When the axis of the

monsoon trough lies over the plains, rainfall is good in
plains. On the other hand, whenever the axis shifts
closer to the Himalayas, there are longer dry spells in
the plains and rainfall occurs in mountains.
The monsoon is known for its uncertainties. It is often
irregular in its arrival and its retreat. While it causes
heavy floods in one part, it may be responsible for
droughts in the other.

RETREATING
During MONSOON
October- November, with the apparent movement of
the sun towards the south, the monsoon trough or the lowpressure trough over the northern plains becomes weaker.
The south-west monsoon winds weaken and start
withdrawing gradually.
By the beginning of October, the monsoon withdraws from
the Northern Plains. The retreat of the monsoon is marked
by clear skies and rise in temperature.
Due to high temperature and humidity, the weather is rather
oppressive during the day. This is known as October heat.
The low-pressure conditions, over north-western India, get
transferred to the Bay of Bengal by early November which
causes cyclonic depressions in Andaman Sea. These
cyclones causes heavy and widespread rain.
The thickly populated deltas of the Godavari, the Krishna
and the

 Kaveri are struck by cyclones,

which causes great damage to
life and property. 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.

DISTRIBUTION OF RAINFALL
Parts of western coast and
northeastern India receive
over about 400 cm of
rainfall annually.
It is less than 60 cm in
western Rajasthan and
parts of Gujarat, Haryana
and Punjab. Rainfall is low
in the interior of the
Deccan plateau and east
of the Sahyadris. Low
precipitation is in Leh in
Jammu and Kashmir.
The rest of the country
receives moderate rainfall.
Snowfall is restricted to
the Himalayan region

MONSOON AS A UNIFYING
BOND
Himalayas protect the
subcontinent from extremely

cold winds from central Asia and this enables

northern India to have uniformly higher temperatures
when compared to other areas on the same latitudes.
The seasonal alteration of the wind systems and the
associated weather conditions provide a rhythmic
cycle of seasons. The uncertainties of rain and
uneven distribution are very much typical of the
monsoons. The Indian landscape, its animal and plant
life, its entire agricultural calendar and the life of the
people, including their festivities, revolve around this
phenomenon.
The monsoon winds provide water to set the
agricultural activities in motion. The river valleys
which carry this water also unite as a single river
valley unit.

 THANK YOU!!
PREPARED BY ~KRUT
PATEL~