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4, CLIMATE, , I, , n the last two chapters you have read about, the landforms and the drainage of, our country. These are the two of the three, basic elements that one learns about the natural, environment of any area. In this chapter you, will learn about the third, that is, the, atmospheric conditions that prevail over our, country. Why do we wear woollens in December, or why it is hot and uncomfortable in the month, of May, and why it rains in June - July? The, answers to all these questions can be found out, by studying about the climate of India., 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. You may have, observed that the weather conditions fluctuate, very often even within a day. But there is some, common pattern over a few weeks or months,, i.e. days are cool or hot, windy or calm, cloudy, or bright, and wet or dry. On the basis of the, generalised monthly atmospheric conditions,, the year is divided into seasons such as winter,, summer or rainy seasons., The world is divided into a number of, climatic regions. Do you know what type of, climate India has and why it is so? We will, learn about it in this chapter., • The word monsoon is, derived from the Arabic word ‘mausim’ which, literally means season., • ‘Monsoon’ refers to the seasonal reversal in the, wind direction during a year., , The climate of India is described as the, ‘monsoon’ type. In Asia, this type of climate, is found mainly in the south and the southeast., Despite an overall unity in the general pattern,, there are perceptible regional variations in, climatic conditions within the country. Let us, take two important elements – temperature and, precipitation, and examine how they vary from, place to place and season to season., In summer, the mercury occasionally, touches 50°C in some parts of the Rajasthan, desert, whereas it may be around 20°C in, Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. On a winter, night, temperature at Drass in Jammu and, Kashmir may be as low as minus 45°C., Thiruvananthapuram, on the other hand, may, have a temperature of 22°C., In certain places there is a, wide difference between day and night, temperatures. In the Thar Desert the day, temperature may rise to 50°C, and drop down, to near 15°C the same night. On the other hand,, there is hardly any difference in day and night, temperatures in the Andaman and Nicobar, islands or in Kerala., , Let us now look at precipitation. There are, variations not only in the form and types of, precipitation but also in its amount and the, seasonal distribution. While 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 receive rainfall from June to, September. But some parts like the Tamil Nadu, , 2021–22

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coast gets a large portion of its rain during, October and November., In general, coastal areas experience less, contrasts in temperature conditions. Seasonal, contrasts are more in the interior of the, country. There is decrease in rainfall generally, from east to west in the Northern Plains. These, variations have given rise to variety in lives of, people – in terms of the food they eat, the, clothes they wear and also the kind of houses, they live in., , • Why most of the world’s deserts are, located in the western margins of continents in the, subtropics?, , Finally, relief too plays a major role in, determining the 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 INDIA’S CLIMATE, , •, , Why the houses in Rajasthan have thick, walls and flat roofs?, • Why is it that the houses in the Tarai region and, in Goa and Mangalore have sloping roofs?, • Why houses in Assam are built on stilts?, , Latitude, , 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 condition is known as, continentality (i.e. very hot during summers, and very cold during winters). Ocean currents, along with onshore winds affect the climate of, the coastal areas, For example, any coastal, area with warm or cold currents flowing past, it, will be warmed or cooled if the winds are, onshore., , The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle, of the country from the Rann of Kuchchh in the, west to Mizoram in the east. Almost half of the, country, lying south of the Tropic of Cancer,, belongs to the tropical area. All the remaining, area, north of the Tropic, lies in the sub-tropics., Therefore, India’s climate has characteristics of, tropical as well as subtropical climates., Altitude, India has mountains to the north, which have, an average height of about 6,000 metres. India, also has a vast coastal area where the, maximum elevation is about 30 metres. The, Himalayas prevent the cold winds from Central, Asia from entering the subcontinent. It is, because of these mountains that this, subcontinent experiences comparatively, milder winters as compared to central Asia., Pressure and Winds, The climate and associated weather conditions, in India are governed by the following, atmospheric conditions:, •, •, •, , Pressure and surface winds;, Upper air circulation; and, Western cyclonic disturbances and, tropical cyclones., , India lies in the region of north easterly, winds. These winds originate from the, subtropical high-pressure belt of the northern, , 27, , CLIMATE, , 2021–22

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hemisphere. They blow southwards, get, deflected to the right due to the Coriolis force,, and move towards the equatorial low-pressure, area. Generally, these winds carry little, moisture as they originate and blow over land., Therefore, they bring little or no rain. Hence,, India should have been an arid land, but it is, not so. Let us see why?, Coriolis force: An apparent force caused by the earth’s, rotation. The Coriolis force is responsible for deflecting, winds towards the right in the northern hemisphere, and towards the left in the southern hemisphere. This, is also known as ‘Ferrel’s Law’., , The pressure and wind conditions over, India are unique. During winter, there is a, high-pressure area north of the Himalayas., Cold dry winds blow from this region to the, low-pressure areas over the oceans to the, south. In summer, a low-pressure area, develops over interior Asia, as well as, over, northwestern India. This causes a complete, reversal of the direction of winds during, summer. Air moves from the high-pressure, area over the southern Indian Ocean, in a, south-easterly direction, crosses the equator,, and turns right towards the low-pressure areas, over the Indian subcontinent. These are known, as the Southwest Monsoon winds. These winds, blow over the warm oceans, gather moisture, and bring widespread rainfall over the, mainland of India., The upper air circulation in this region is, dominated by a westerly flow. An important, component of this flow is the jet stream., These jet streams are located approximately, over 27°-30° north latitude, therefore, they are, known as subtropical westerly jet streams. Over, India, these jet streams blow south of the, , Himalayas, all through the year except in, summer. The western cyclonic disturbances, experienced in the north and north-western parts, of the country are brought in by this westerly, flow. In summer, the subtropical westerly jet, stream moves north of the Himalayas with the, apparent movement of the sun. An easterly jet, stream, called the sub-tropical easterly jet stream, blows over peninsular India, approximately over, 14°N during the summer months., Western Cyclonic Disturbances, The western cyclonic disturbances are weather, phenomena of the winter months brought in by the, westerly flow from the Mediterranean region. They, usually influence the weather of the north and, north-western regions of India. Tropical cyclones, occur during the monsoon, as well as, in, October – November, and are part of the easterly, flow. These disturbances affect the coastal regions, of the country. Have you read or heard about the, disasters caused by them on Odisha and Andhra, Pradesh coast?, , THE INDIAN MONSOON, The climate of India is strongly influenced by, monsoon winds. The sailors who came to India, in historic times were one of the first to have, noticed the phenomenon of the monsoon. They, benefited from the reversal of the wind system, as they came by sailing ships at the mercy of, winds. The Arabs, who had also come to India, as traders named this seasonal reversal of the, wind system ‘monsoon’., , Jet stream: These are a narrow belt of high, altitude (above 12,000 m) westerly winds in the, troposphere. Their speed varies from about 110, km/h in summer to about 184 km/h in winter., A number of separate jet streams have been, identified. The most constant are the mid-latitude, and the sub-tropical jet stream., Figure 4.1 : Arrival of Monsoon, , 28, , CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I, , 2021–22

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Figure 4.2 : Atmospheric Conditions over the Indian Subcontinent in the Month of January, , Figure 4.3 : Atmospheric Conditions over the Indian Subcontinent in the Month of June, , CLIMATE, , 29, , 2021–22

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The monsoons are experienced in the, tropical area roughly between 20° N and 20°, S. To understand the mechanism of the, monsoons, the following facts are important., (a) The differential heating and cooling of, land and water creates low pressure on the, landmass of India while the seas around, experience comparatively high pressure., (b) The shift of the position of Inter Tropical, Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in summer, over, the Ganga plain (this is the equatorial trough, normally positioned about 5°N of the, equator. It is also known as the monsoontrough during the monsoon season)., (c) The presence of the high-pressure area,, east of Madagascar, approximately at, 20°S over the Indian Ocean. The intensity, and position of this high-pressure area, affects the Indian Monsoon., (d) The Tibetan plateau gets intensely, 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., (e) The movement of the westerly jet stream, to the north of the Himalayas and the, presence of the tropical easterly jet, stream over the Indian peninsula during, summer., Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ,) is a, broad trough of low pressure in equatorial, latitudes. This is where the northeast and the, southeast trade winds converge. This, convergence zone lies more or less parallel to, the equator but moves north or south with the, apparent movement of the sun., , Apart from this, it has also been noticed that, changes 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 (Pacific Ocean, 18°S/149°W) and, Darwin in northern Australia (Indian Ocean,, 12°30’S/131°E) 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 phenomenon in 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 referred to as ENSO, (El Nino Southern Oscillations)., El Nino: This is a name given to the periodic, development of a warm ocean current along the, coast of Peru as a temporary replacement of the, cold Peruvian current. ‘El Nino’ is a Spanish word, meaning ‘the child’, and refers to the baby Christ,, as this current starts flowing during Christmas., The presence of the El Nino leads to an increase, in sea-surface temperatures and weakening of, the trade winds in the region., , THE ONSET OF THE MONSOON AND WITHDRAWAL, The Monsoon, unlike the trades, are not steady, winds but are pulsating in nature, affected by, different atmospheric conditions encountered, by it, on its way over the warm tropical seas., The duration of the monsoon is between 100120 days from early June to mid-September., Around the time of its arrival, the normal, rainfall increases suddenly and continues, constantly for several days. This is known as, the ‘burst’ of the monsoon, and can be, distinguished from the pre-monsoon showers., The monsoon arrives at the southern tip of the, Indian peninsula generally by the first week of, June. Subsequently, it proceeds into two – the, Arabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengal, branch. The Arabian Sea branch reaches, Mumbai about ten days later on, approximately the 10th of June. This is a fairly, rapid advance. The Bay of Bengal branch also, advances rapidly and arrives in Assam in the, first week of June. The lofty mountains causes, the monsoon winds to deflect towards the west, , 30, , CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I, , 2021–22

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over the Ganga plains. By mid-June the, Arabian Sea branch of the monsoon arrives, over Saurashtra-Kuchchh and the central part, of the country. The Arabian Sea and the Bay, of Bengal branches of the monsoon merge over, the northwestern part of the Ganga plains., Delhi generally receives the monsoon showers, from the Bay of Bengal branch by the end of, June (tentative date is 29th of June). By the first, week of July, western Uttar Pradesh, Punjab,, Haryana and eastern Rajasthan experience the, monsoon. By mid-July, the monsoon reaches, Himachal Pradesh and the rest of the country, (Figure 4.3)., Withdrawal or the retreat of the monsoon, is a more gradual process (Figure 4.4). The, withdrawal of the monsoon begins in, northwestern states of India by early, September. By mid-October, it withdraws, completely from the northern half of the, peninsula. The withdrawal from the southern, half of the peninsula is fairly rapid. By early, December, the monsoon has withdrawn from, the rest of the country., The islands receive the very first monsoon, showers, progressively from south to north,, from the last week of April to the first week of, May. The withdrawal, takes place progressively, from north to south from the first week of, December to the first week of January. By this, time the rest of the country is already under, the influence of the winter monsoon., , THE SEASONS, The monsoon type of climate is characterised, by a distinct seasonal pattern. The weather, conditions greatly change from one season to, the other. These changes are particularly, noticeable in the interior parts of the country., The coastal areas do not experience much, variation in temperature though there is, variation in rainfall pattern. How many seasons, are experienced in your place? Four main, seasons can be identified in India – the cold, weather season, the hot weather season, the, advancing monsoon and the retreating, monsoon with some regional variations., , The Cold Weather Season (Winter), The cold weather season begins from midNovember in northern India and stays till, February. December and January are the, coldest months in the northern part of India., The temperature decreases from south to the, north. The average temperature of Chennai, on, the eastern coast, is between 24° – 25° Celsius,, while in the northern plains, it ranges between, 10°C and 15° Celsius. Days are warm and, nights are cold. Frost is common in the north, and the higher slopes of the Himalayas, experience snowfall., During this season, the northeast trade, winds prevail over the country. They blow from, land to sea and hence, for most part of the, country, it is a dry season. Some amount of, rainfall occurs on the Tamil Nadu coast from, these winds as, here they blow from sea to land., In the northern part of the country, a feeble, high-pressure region develops, with light winds, moving outwards from this area. Influenced by, the relief, these winds blow through the Ganga, valley from the west and the northwest. The, weather is normally marked by clear sky, low, temperatures and low humidity and feeble,, variable winds., A characteristic feature of the cold weather, season over the northern plains is 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 the much-needed, winter rains over the plains and snowfall in the, mountains. Although the total amount of, winter rainfall locally known as ‘mahawat’ is, small, they are of immense importance for the, cultivation of ‘rabi’ crops., The peninsular region does not have a welldefined cold season. There is hardly any, noticeable seasonal change in temperature, pattern during winters due to the moderating, influence of the sea., The Hot Weather Season (Summer), Due to the apparent northward movement of the, sun, the global heat belt shifts northwards. As, such, from March to May, it is hot weather season, , CLIMATE, , 31, , 2021–22

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Figure 4.4 : Advancing Monsoon, , 32, , CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I, , 2021–22

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in India. The influence of the shifting of the heat, belt can be seen clearly from temperature, recordings taken during March-May at different, latitudes. In March, the highest temperature is, about 38° Celsius, recorded on the Deccan, plateau. In April, temperatures in Gujarat and, Madhya Pradesh are around 42° Celsius. In May,, temperature of 45° Celsius is common in the, northwestern parts of the country. 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 part of the country. Towards the end, of May, an elongated low-pressure area, develops in the region extending from the Thar, Desert in the northwest to Patna and, Chotanagpur plateau in the east and, southeast. Circulation of air begins to set in, around this trough., A striking feature of the hot weather season, is the ‘loo’. These are strong, gusty, hot, dry, winds blowing during the day over the north and, northwestern India. Sometimes they even, continue until late in the evening. Direct exposure, to these winds may even prove to be fatal. Dust, storms are very common during the month of, May in northern India. These storms bring, temporary relief as they lower the temperature, and may bring light rain and cool breeze. This is, also the season for localised thunderstorms,, associated with violent winds, torrential, downpours, often accompanied by hail. In West, Bengal, these storms are known as the ‘Kaal, Baisakhi’., Towards the close of the summer season,, pre-monsoon showers are common especially,, in Kerala and Karnataka. They help in the early, ripening of mangoes, and are often referred to, as ‘mango showers’., Advancing Monsoon (The Rainy Season), By early June, the low-pressure condition over, the northern plains intensifies. It attracts, the, trade winds of the southern hemisphere. These, south-east trade 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. As these winds, blow over warm oceans, they bring abundant, moisture to the subcontinent. These winds are, strong and blow at an average velocity of 30, km per hour. With the exception of the extreme, north-west, the monsoon winds cover the, country in about a month., The inflow of the south-west monsoon into, India brings about a total change in the, weather. Early in the season, the windward, side of the Western Ghats receives very heavy, rainfall, more than 250 cm. The Deccan, Plateau and parts of Madhya Pradesh also, receive some amount of rain in spite of lying, in the rain shadow area. The maximum rainfall, of this season is received in the north-eastern, part of the country. Mawsynram in the, southern ranges of the Khasi Hills receives the, highest average rainfall in the world. Rainfall, in the Ganga valley decreases from the east to, the west. Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat get, scanty rainfall., Another phenomenon associated with the, monsoon is its tendency to have ‘breaks’ in, rainfall. Thus, it has wet and dry spells. In, other words, 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. For, various reasons, the trough and its axis keep, 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 these parts. On, the other hand, whenever the axis shifts closer, to the Himalayas, there are longer dry spells, in the plains, and widespread rain occur in, the mountainous catchment areas of the, Himalayan rivers. These heavy rains bring in, their wake, devastating floods causing, damage to life and property in the plains. The, f r e q u e n c y a n d i n t e n s i t y o f t ropi cal, depressions too, determine the amount and, d u r a t i o n o f m o n s o o n r a i n s . Th ese, depressions form at the head of the Bay of, Bengal and cross over to the mainland. The, depressions follow the axis of the “monsoon, , CLIMATE, , 33, , 2021–22

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Figure 4.5 : Retreating Monsoon, , 34, , CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I, , 2021–22

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trough of low pressure”. The monsoon is, known for its uncertainties. The alternation, of dry and wet spells vary in intensity,, frequency and duration. While it causes heavy, floods in one part, it may be responsible for, droughts in the other. It is often irregular in, its arrival and its retreat. Hence, it sometimes, disturbs the farming schedule of millions of, farmers all over the country., Retreating/Post Monsoons, (The Transition Season), During October-November, with the apparent, movement of the sun towards the south, the, monsoon trough or the low-pressure trough, over the northern plains becomes weaker. This, is gradually replaced by a high-pressure, system. The south-west monsoon winds, weaken and start withdrawing gradually. By, the beginning of October, the monsoon, withdraws from the Northern Plains., The months of October-November form a, period of transition from hot rainy season to, dry winter conditions. The retreat of the, monsoon is marked by clear skies and rise in, Mawsynram, the wettest, place on the earth is also reputed for its, stalagmite and stalactite caves., , deltas of the Godavari, the Krishna and the, Kaveri are frequently struck by cyclones, which, cause great damage to life and property., Sometimes, these cyclones arrive at the coasts, of Odisha, 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., However, it is less than 60 cm in western, Rajasthan and adjoining parts of Gujarat,, Haryana and Punjab. Rainfall is equally low, in the interior of the Deccan plateau, and east, of the Sahyadris. Why do these regions receive, low rainfall? A third area of low precipitation, is around Leh in Jammu and Kashmir. The rest, of the country receives moderate rainfall., Snowfall is restricted to the Himalayan region., Owing to the nature of monsoons, the, annual rainfall is highly variable from year to, year. Variability is high in the regions of low, rainfall, such as parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and the leeward side of the Western Ghats. As, such, while areas of high rainfall are liable to, be affected by floods, areas of low rainfall are, drought-prone (Figure 4.6 and 4.7)., , MONSOON AS A UNIFYING BOND, temperature. While day temperatures are, high, nights are cool and pleasant. The land, is still moist. Owing to the conditions of high, temperature and humidity, the weather, becomes rather oppressive during the day., This is commonly known as ‘October heat’. In, the second half of October, the mercury begins, to fall rapidly in northern India., The low-pressure conditions, over northwestern India, get transferred to the Bay of, Bengal by early November. This shift is, associated with the occurrence of cyclonic, depressions, which originate over the, Andaman Sea. These cyclones generally cross, the eastern coasts of India cause heavy and, widespread rain. These tropical cyclones are, often very destructive. The thickly populated, , You have alr eady known the way the, Himalayas protect the subcontinent from, extremely cold winds from central Asia. This, enables northern India to have uniformly, higher temperatures compared to other areas, on the same latitudes. Similarly, the, Peninsular plateau, under the influence of the, sea from three sides, has moderate, temperatures. Despite such moderating, influences, there are great variations in the, temperature conditions. Nevertheless, the, unifying influence of the monsoon on the, Indian subcontinent is quite perceptible. The, seasonal alteration of the wind systems and, the associated weather conditions provide a, rhythmic cycle of seasons. Even the, uncertainties of rain and uneven distribution, , CLIMATE, , 35, , 2021–22

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Figure 4.6 : Seasonal Rainfall (June-September), , 36, , CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I, , 2021–22

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Figure 4.7 : Annual Rainfall, , CLIMATE, , 37, , 2021–22

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38, CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I, , Activity, (i) On the basis of the news items above, find out the names of places and the seasons described., (ii) Compare the rainfall description of Chennai and Mumbai and explain the reasons for the difference., (iii) Evaluate flood as a disaster with the help of a case study., , 2021–22

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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. Year after year,, people of India from north to south and from, , east to west, eagerly await the arrival of the, monsoon. These monsoon winds bind the, whole country by providing water to set the, agricultural activities in motion. The river, valleys which carry this water also unite as a, single river valley unit., , EXERCISE, 1. Choose the correct answer from the four alternatives given below., (i), Which one of the following places receives the highest rainfall in the world?, (a) Silchar, (c) Cherrapunji, (b) Mawsynram, (d) Guwahati, (ii), The wind blowing in the northern plains in summers is known as:, (a) Kaal Baisakhi, (c) Trade Winds, (b) Loo, (d) None of the above, (iii), Which one of the following causes rainfall during winters in north-western, part of India., (a) Cyclonic depression, (c) Western disturbances, (b) Retreating monsoon, (d) Southwest monsoon, (iv), Monsoon arrives in India approximately in:, (a) Early May, (c) Early June, (b) Early July, (d) Early August, (v), Which one of the following characterises the cold weather season in India?, (a) Warm days and warm nights, (b) Warm days and cold nights, (c) Cool days and cold nights, (d) Cold days and warm nights, 2. Answer the following questions briefly., (i) What are the controls affecting the climate of India?, (ii) Why does India have a monsoon type of climate?, (iii) Which part of India does experience the highest diurnal range of temperature, and why?, (iv) Which winds account for rainfall along the Malabar coast?, (v) What are Jet streams and how do they affect the climate of India?, (vi) Define monsoons. What do you understand by “break” in monsoon?, (vii) Why is the monsoon considered a unifying bond?, 3. Why does the rainfall decrease from the east to the west in Northern India., 4. Give reasons as to why., (i) Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian, subcontinent?, (ii) The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months., (iii) The Tamil Nadu coast receives winter rainfall., (iv) The delta region of the eastern coast is frequently struck by cyclones., (v) Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western Ghats are, drought-prone., , CLIMATE, , 39, , 2021–22

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5. Describe the regional variations in the climatic conditions of India with the help, of suitable examples., 6. Discuss the mechanism of monsoons., 7. Give an account of weather conditions and characteristics of the cold season., 8. Give the characteristics and effects of the monsoon rainfall in India., MAP SKILLS, On, (i), (ii), (iii), , an outline map of India, show the following., Areas receiving rainfall over 400 cm., Areas receiving less than 20 cm of rainfall., The direction of the south-west monsoon over India., , PROJECT/ACTIVITY, (i) Find out which songs, dances, festivals and special food preparations are, associated with certain seasons in your region. Do they have some, commonality with other regions of India?, (ii) Collect photographs of typical rural houses, and clothing of people from, different regions of India. Examine whether they reflect any relationship, with the climatic condition and, relief of the area., FOR DOING IT YOURSELF, , 1. In Table-I, the average mean monthly, temperatures and amounts of rainfall of 10, representative stations have been given. It is, for you to study on your own and convert them, into ‘temperature and rainfall’ graphs. A, glance at these visual representations will help, you to grasp instantly the smilarities and, differences between them. One such graph, (Figure 1) is already prepared for you. See if, you can arrive at some broad generalisations, about our diverse climatic conditions. We hope, you are in for a great joy of learning. Do the, Figure 1 : Temperature and Rainfall of Delhi, following activities., 2. Re-arrange the 10 stations in two different sequences:, (i) According to their distance from the equator., (ii) According to their altitude above mean sealevel., 3. (i) Name two rainiest stations., (ii) Name two driest stations., (iii) Two stations with most equable climate., (iv) Two stations with most extreme climate., (v) Two stations most influenced by the Arabian branch of southwest monsoons., (vi) Two stations most influenced by the Bay of Bengal branch of southwest monsoons., (vii) Two stations influenced by both branches of the southwest monsoons, (viii) Two stations influenced by retreating and northeast monsoons., (ix) Two stations receiving winter showers from the western disturbances., (x) The two hottest stations in the months of, (a) February, (b) April, (c) May, (d) June, 40, , CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I, , 2021–22

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Table I, Stations, , Latitude Altitude Jan., (Metres), , Feb., , Mar., , Apr., , May. Jun., , Jul., , Aug., , Sep., , Oct., , Nov. Dec. Annual, Rainfall, , 20.5, , 22.7, , 25.2, , 27.1, , 26.7, , 24.2, , 23.0, , 23.0, , 23.1, , 22.9, , 18.9 20.2, , 0.7, , 0.9, , 1.1, , 4.5, , 10.7, , 7.1, , 11.1, , 13.7, , 16.4, , 15.3, , 24.4, , 24.4, , 26.7, , 28.3, , 30.0, , 28.9, , 27.2, , 27.2, , 27.2, , 27.8, , 0.2, , 0.2, , –, , –, , 1.8, , 50.6, , 61.0, , 36.9, , 26.9, , 4.8, , 19.6, , 22.0, , 27.1, , 30.1, , 30.4, , 29.9, , 28.9, , 28.7, , 28.9, , 27.6, , 1.2, , 2.8, , 3.4, , 5.1, , 13.4, , 29.0, , 33.1, , 33.4, , 25.3, , 12.7, , 14.4, , 16.7, , 23.3, , 30.0, , 33.3, , 33.3, , 30.0, , 29.4, , 28.9, , 25.6, , 2.5, , 1.5, , 1.3, , 1.0, , 1.8, , 7.4, , 19.3, , 17.8, , 11.9, , 1.3, , 16.8, , 19.2, , 26.6, , 29.8, , 33.3, , 33.9, , 31.3, , 29.0, , 20.1, , 27.0, , 0.5, , 0.6, , 0.3, , 0.3, , 1.0, , 3.1, , 10.8, , 13.1, , 5.7, , 0.8, , 24.5, , 25.7, , 27.7, , 30.4, , 33.0, , 32.5, , 31.0, , 30.2, , 29.8, , 28.0, , 25.9 24.7, , 4.6, , 1.3, , 1.3, , 1.8, , 3.8, , 4.5, , 8.7, , 11.3, , 11.9, , 30.6, , 35.0 13.9, , 21.5, , 23.9, , 28.3, , 32.7, , 35.5, , 32.0, , 27.7, , 27.3, , 27.9, , 26.7, , 23.1 20.7, , 1.1, , 2.3, , 1.7, , 1.6, , 2.1, , 22.2, , 37.6, , 28.6, , 18.5, , 5.5, , 9.8, , 11.3, , 15.9, , 18.5, , 19.2, , 20.5, , 21.1, , 20.9, , 20.0, , 17.2, , 1.4, , 2.9, , 5.6, , 14.6, , 29.5, , 47.6, , 35.9, , 34.3, , 30.2, , 18.8, , 26.7, , 27.3, , 28.3, , 28.7, , 28.6, , 26.6, , 26.2 2.6.2 26.5, , 26.7, , 26.6 26.5, , 2.3, , 2.1, , 3.7, , 10.6, , 20.8, , 35.6, , 22.3, , 14.6, , 13.8, , 27.3, , 20.6 7.5, , 6.1, , 10.0, , 14.4, , 17.2, , 16.1, , 12.2, , 6.1, , 0.5, , 0.5, , 0.5, , 1.3, , 1.3, , 0.8, , 0.5, , Temperature (°C), Bengaluru, Rainfall (cm), , 12°58'N, , Temperature (°C), Mumbai, Rainfall (cm), , 19° N, , Temperature (°C), Kolkata, Rainfall (cm), , 22°34' N, , Temperature (°C), Delhi, Rainfall (cm), , 29° N, , Temperature (°C), Jodhpur, Rainfall (cm), , 26°18' N, , Temperature (°C), Chennai, Rainfall (cm), , 13°4' N, , Temperature (°C), Nagpur, Rainfall (cm), , 21°9' N, , Temperature (°C), Shillong, Rainfall (cm), , 24°34' N, , Temperature (°C), Thiruvananthapuram 8°29' N, Rainfall (cm), Temperature (°C), Leh 34° N, Rainfall (cm), , 909, 1.3, , 88.9, , 27.2 25.0, , 11, 1.0, , –, , 183.4, , 23.4 19.7, , 6, 2.7, , 0.4, , 162.5, , 19.4 15.6, , 219, 0.2, , 1.0, , 67.0, , 20.1 14.9, , 224, 0.2, , 0.2, , 36.6, , 7, 128.6, , 312, 2.0, , 1.0, , 124.2, , 13.3 10.4, , 1461, 3.8, , 0.6, , 225.3, , 61, , – 8.5 – 7.2 – 0.6, 34°N, , 6.1, , 181.2, , 0.0 – 5.6, , 3506, 1.0, , 0.8, , 0.8, , –, , 0.5, , 8.5, , 4. Now find out, (i) Why are Thiruvananthapuram and Shillong rainier in June than in July?, (ii) Why is July rainier in Mumbai than in Thiruvananthapuram?, (iii) Why are southwest monsoons less rainy in Chennai?, (iv) Why is Shillong rainier than Kolkata?, (v) Why is Kolkata rainier in July than in June unlike Shillong which is rainier in June than, in July?, (vi) Why does Delhi receive more rain than Jodhpur?, 5. Now think why, — Thiruvananthapuram has equable climate?, — Chennai has more rains only after the fury of monsoon is over in most parts of the country?, — Jodhpur has a hot desert type of climate?, — Leh has moderate precipitation almost throughut the year?, — while in Delhi and Jodhpur most of the rain is confined to nearly three months, in, Thiruvananthapuram and Shillong it is almost nine months of the year?, In spite of these facts see carefully if there are strong evidences to conclude that the monsoons, still provide a very strong framework lending overall climatic unity to the whole country., CLIMATE, , 41, , 2021–22