Climate of India

TROPICAL MONSOON CLIMATE

India is a vast country and has different relief features. They are responsible for varied climatic conditions. India has very hot and very cold regions as well as regions with very heavy rainfall and very scanty rainfall. A large part of India has tropical monsoon climate. The climate of India has been influenced by its position, size and relief features. Monsoon winds are the main factors that determine the climate of India. They influence a large part of India.

 The Climate of India may be divided into four seasons-

 1) Winter - From December to February(winter rains)

 2) Summer - From March to May 

3) South-West monsoons or rainy season - June to September 

4) Retreating monsoons - October and November(tropical cyclones)

The rainfall in India is seasonal, uncertain and unevenly distributed. Most of the rain comes during the South-West Monsoon period. Rainfall may be too much or too little. There are also long dry periods in between. On the basis of the quantity of rainfall, we can divide India into five major rainfall regions.

 1)Very low rainfall region (Less than 30 cms per year). It is found in Karakoram ranges, northern Kashmir and western parts of Kachchh and Rajasthan (Thar desert).

 2) Low rainfall region (30 cms. to 60 cms. per year). It is found in Zaskar range, parts of Punjab and Haryana, Central Rajasthan, Western Gujarat and the rain-shadow areas of the Western Ghats.

 3) Moderate rainfall (60 cms. to 100 cms. per year). It is found over a greater part of India, excluding the areas of low rainfall and heavy rainfall. Most of the rain is from the South-West Monsoon winds.

 4) Heavy rainfall region (100 cms. to 200 cms. per year). It is found in four separate areas, including a narrow belt of the western coast, eastern coastal belt, the foothills of the Himalayas and a part of north-east India. 

5) Very heavy rainfall region (over 200 cms. per year). It is found on the western side of the Western Ghats , the foothills of Himalayas, Meghalaya plateau (Shillong plateau) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Mawsynram in Meghalaya plateau has recorded 1141 cms. of rainfall per year and it is the place which gets the heaviest rainfall in India/world.