Question

Describe the seasons experienced in India and also state the months and their duration.

Answer 1

The tropical monsoon climate of India has three main seasons 

1. The Hot Dry Season — March to May
2. The Hot Wet Season — June to October
3. The Cool Dry Season — November to February

1. The Hot Dry Season: The temperature starts to rise by March, reaching the highest in May in the desert region going above 48°C. Northern Plains are at about 35° to 40°C. The places at higher altitudes and coastal regions have moderate temperatures. The high temperature leads to local storms accompanied by convectional showers at times like loo in Rajasthan, Mango showers in Kerala, Kalbaisakhi in Assam and West Bengal.

2. The Hot Wet Season Rainy Season: By June, the high temperature leads to the formation of a low-pressure area and blowing of high-pressure winds from the sea to the land occurs which brings rainfall to the land. These winds are called summer monsoons or the south-west monsoons that bring heavy rain along with thunder and lightning. Temperature decreases by 3°-6°C. Kerala is the first state to receive the rain. The south-west monsoons are divided into two branches—
(a) The Arabian Sea Branch — It is stronger and causes heavy rain in the western ghats, moving to Deccan Plateau and the interiors of peninsular which gets hardly 50-60 cm of rainfall.
(b) The Bay of Bengal Branch — It brings heavy rain in north-eastern India, then all over the Northern Plains (by taking turn along the Himalayas). By the time they reach north-west India, the wind becomes dry and hence very low rainfall is experienced in this region.
By the end of September, India starts to cool again as the sun’s direct rays move towards the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn. The air above land is cool (at high pressure) and the air above water bodies is warmer (low pressure), so the winds reverse the direction and blow from the land to the sea. These winds are called retreating monsoons. Tamil Nadu receives less rainfall in summer and more rainfall in winters from the north-east monsoon.

3. Cold Dry Season: The winter season begins from November and lasts till February. Temperatures are lower in north India and the interiors are dry. The average temperatures go below 10°C in north-west India and around 21°C in the plains. Some areas at high altitude as Shimla and Srinagar experience snowfall. South India remains warmer due to closeness to the equator. Severe cold waves are common in Northern India. Rainfall is scanty all over India as winds blow from land towards the sea and hence are dry. North-west India and the Coromandel Coast receive winter rainfall due to northeast monsoons. Hence, Tamil Naidu receives winter rainfall. Western disturbances also bring cyclonic rainfall in the north-west India states like Punjab, Kashmir Himachal Pradesh and western Uttar Pradesh Winter rainfall is low but very important for rabi or winter crops such as wheat and barley.