GEOGRAPHY
Chapter 4: Climate
NAGRUR
yigm
tamsa
CLIMATE
04
CLIMATE
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Class: 9th Geography
Chapter - 4:Climate
•Monsoon winds are not steady, but pulsating in nature.
•With its arrival, the normal rainfall increases and continues for several days, which is
known as burst.
•Withdrawal is a gradual process, which begins in north western states of India.
Climate refers to the sum total of
weather
The cold weather season (Winter).
conditions and variations over a large
The onset of the The hot weather season (Summer).
area
monsoon and Advancingmonsoon (The Rainy Season)•
for a long period of time.
Withdravwal :Retreating/ post monsoons
Weather refers to the state of the (The Transition Season).
atmosphereover an area at anv point of.:
Introduction The Seasons
.400 cm
. Six major parts ofwestern
rainfall in
controls: coast and north
latitude, Climate 60
eastern India;
altitude, Climatic Controls cm
pressureand Distributions of in western
wind system, Rainfall Rajasthan, parts of
distance from
Gujarat, Haryana
the sea
The Indian Monsoon & Punjab.
(continentality), Low rainfall in
Ocean currents interior of Deccan
and relief Factors Affecting Plateau and east
Monsoon as a
features. india's Climate
by of Sahyadri.
Affected unifying Bond
Snowfall in
Himalayan region.
Latitude Pressure and Winds
Altitude
Himalayas
Differential heating Pressure and Monsoo
prevent the cold n winds
and cooling of land and Gives India's surface winds. the
winds from bind whole
.....
water.
Central from: :Upper air
Asia country by
the position of charhcterie
Shift of
the sub:Ecirculation. aVE praviding
•
entering water to
Inter Tropical of tropical and continent, due Western set the agricultural
Convergence :subtropical
to which :cyclonic activities.
Zone (ITCZ). :climates.
subcontinent disturbances River valleys which
•Presence of the high has mild and tropical this water also
carry
pressurearea, east of winters. :cyclones. unite as a single
Madagascar. • Tibetan river valley unit.
plateau gets intensely
heated during summer.
Movement of westerly
jet stream and tropical
easterly
jet stream.
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Climate
Weather is the state of the atmosphere over an area at a given point of time. Climate, on
the other hand, refers to the total of weather conditions and variations occurring over a
large area over a long period of time. Wind, rainfall, temperature, and atmospheric
pressure are some important elements of climate and weather. Two main differences
between weather and climate:
Weather Climate
Weather is a day-to-day state of the Climate is the total of weather conditions
atmosphereof an area at any given of a given place over a longer period of
point of time. time.
Weather changes on a daily basis. Climate of a given place remains constant
for over 30 to 40 years.
The Climate of India
India has a 'monsoon' type of climate. It experiences several kinds of regional climatic
variations. While there is hardly 20cm of rainfall annually in the western parts of Rajasthan
and Gujarat, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh receive more than 250cm of rainfall. During
winters, the night temperature may fall below -45°C, while on the same night,
Thiruvananthapuram may experience a temperature of 45°C. These variations have resulted
in different lifestyles of the people.
Factors Affecting the Climate of India
Factors which affect the climate of India
are Latitude GROUP
trg
Tropic of Cancer, a latitude, passes through ndia at 23 26Nto the north of the equator.
It passes through eight Indian states running from the Rann of Kutch of Gujarat to
Mizoram in the east.
• The Tropic of Cancer divides the country into two [Link] areas in India which lie to
the north of the Tropic of Cancer lie in the sub-tropicalregions,while the areas to the
south of the tropic lie in the tropical regions.
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• The temperature remains high throughout the tropical regions.
Altitude: The temperature declines as we travel to places above the sea level. Thus, the
temperature decreases with an increase in altitude.
• There is a decrease of 1°C for every 166 m rise height. This is the reason that hill
stations in India are cooler than the plain regions.
Air Pressure and Surface Winds
India lies in the region of northeasterly winds. However, as these winds blow over land,
they carry very little moisture and cause no rainfal.
• During winters, high pressure areas are created to the north of the Himalayas. Cold
winds blow from this region to the low-pressure areas to the south overthe oceans.
During summers, as low-pressure areas develop over Central Asia, there is complete
reversal of the direction of the winds. Winds move from a high-pressure area over the
Southern Indian Ocean. As these winds blow over the warm ocean, they gather moisture
and bring rainfall to thecountry.
• The climate of India is also influenced by jet streams. The western cyclonic disturbances
in the north and northwestern parts of the country are brought about by the sub
tropical westerly jet streams.
Jet streams are a narrow belt of high-altitude westerly winds in the troposphere. Their
speed varies from about 110 km/h in summers and to about 184 km/h during winters. The
cyclonic disturbances which are experienced in the northern and northwestern parts of the
country are brought in by the westerly flow.
The indian MoizOon) SO ma jyotirgamaya
India has a monsoon type of climate as its climate is strongly influenced by the monsoon
winds. It is important to keep certain facts in mind before studying the monsoon season in
India. These are
a. The differences in heating and cooling of land and water results in the creation of low
pressure on the Indian mainland. The seas at the same time experience high pressure
conditions.
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b. InterTropical Convergent Zone (ITCZ) is a broad trough of low pressure in the equatorial
latitudes."
C. The presence of high-pressure area east of Madagascar over the Indian Ocean affects
the Indian monsOon.
d. The movement of the westerly jet stream to the north of the Himalayas and the tropical
easterly jet stream over the Indian Peninsula also affectthe rainfall in India.
It has been seen that apart from other factors, the changes in the pressure conditions over
the southern oceans also affect the monsoons. Generally, when the tropical eastern South
Pacific Ocean experiences high pressure, the tropical eastern Indian Ocean experiences low
pressure. However, it has been noticed that there has been a reversal in the pressure
[Link] the eastern South Pacific Ocean has low pressure conditions,the eastern
Indian Ocean has relatively high-pressure conditions. This periodic change in pressure
conditions is known as the Southern Oscillation or So.
The Onset of the Monsoons and their Withdrawal
In India, the duration of the monsoon is generally from the months of June to mid
September. When the monsoon arrives, the intensity of the rainfall increases which
continues for several days; this is known asthe 'burst'of the monsoon.
• By the first week of June, the monsoon arrives in Kerala. t is then divided into two
branches-the Bay of Bengal branch and the Arabian Sea branch.
The Arabian Sea branch reaches Mumbai in the second week of June. The Bay of Bengal
branch also arrivesin Assam the first week of June. The mountains
in in the region lead
to the deflectionof the monsoon winds over the North Indian Plains.
• By mid-June, the monsoon strikes the central parts of the country and the Saurashtra
and Kutch regions!
Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and eastern Rajasthan receive rainfall by the first week of July.
The monsoon winds begin to withdraw from the northwestern parts of India by early
September. It withdraws from the peninsular region by mid-October, and it completely
withdraws from the country by the first week of December.
The Seasons
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A country with a monsoon type of climate experiences distinct seasons. India experiences
the following seasons:
The Cold Weather Season
The cold weather season in India begins during mid-November in Northern India and
staystill February. December and January are the coldest months.
• During the cold season, the days are warm, and the nights are cold. When temperature
decreases, frost is commonly experienced in Northern India.
The cold season in most parts of the country is the dry season as northeast trade winds
blow from land to sea.
• Many cyclonic disturbances occur over northern India during this time. These result in
rainfall during winters and snowfall in the Himalayan [Link] winter rainfall helps in
the cultivation of rabicrops.
The Hot Weather Season
• The hot weather season in India begins from March and continues til May. In May, the
temperature rises to 45°C in the northwestern parts of the country.
• Because of high temperature, low air pressure is created in the northern parts of the country.
• One of the striking features of the hot weather season in India is the blowing of local
winds known as loo'. It is a hot wind which may blow even during the evenings. Direct
exposure to these winds may cause fever and
Sometimes, northern India experiences dust storms accompanied by
anxieties.
RO light rainfall during
May. This brings down the temperature.
During this
tatmiso
time, torrential
Tdjyotirgamaya
downpours are accompanied by hail in West Bengal. These
storms are known as Kaal Baisakhi.
Towards the end of the summer season, rain showers are common in Kerala and
Karnataka. They help in the early ripening of mangoes and thus are sometimes also
referred to as 'mango showers.
Advancing Monsoon
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By the first week of June, low pressure conditions get intensified over the North Indian
Plains. These conditions attract the southeast trade winds which originate from the
Southern oceans.
• These winds blow overthe warm oceans and thus bring moisture and rainfall to thecountry.
• During the early monsoon season, the places located on the windward side of the
Western Ghats receive heavy rainfall up to 250 cm.
• The northeastern parts of the country receive heavy rainfall. Mawsynram in Meghalaya
receives the highest amount of rainfall in the world.
As we go from the east to the west, the rainfall decreases. Rajasthan and Gujarat receive
Scanty rainfall.
• Rain does not fall continuously during the monsoon season. Thus, there are dry spells
and wet spells. Monsoons are uncertain and irregular.
Retreating Monsoon
During October and November, the southwest monsoon winds become weaker and start
retreating from the Northern Plains by the beginning of October.
• The retreat is indicated by clear skies and an increase in the temperature in the northern
plains. This increase in temperature is termed '0ctober heat'.
At this time, the low-pressure conditions shift to the Bay of Bengal, giving rise to cyclonic
depressions. These cyclonic depressions often result in the destruction of life and
property, generally on the eastern coast and the southern coast.
• Most of the raintal n the
onOUTgc1ay
lin [Link] Coàst js derived from depressions and cyclones.
Distributionof Rainfall
Rainfall distribution is not the same for every part of the country. While northeastern
India and the parts of the western coast receive about 400 cm of rainfall annually,
western Rajasthan and the western parts of Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana receive less
than 60cm of rainfall.
• The winds which rise from the Arabian Sea are full of moisture. These winds strike the
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mountains on the western side resulting in heavy rainfall. By the time these winds reach
the Eastern Ghats, they are already dry as they already shed their moisture. Hence, the
Western Ghats receive more rainfall than the Eastern Ghats.
• Rainfall is also low in the Eastern Ghats, interior parts of the Deccan Plateau and the Leh
region of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The other parts of the country receive moderate rainfall.
Such a distribution of rainfall causes great climatic [Link] the eastern parts of
the country almost get flooded every year, the western parts of the country experience
drought like situations.
Monsoon as a Unifying Bond
Although the monsoon winds are irregularand uncertain, they unify the entire country. The
farmers eagerly wait for the arrival of rainfall. Rainfall provides the water required to set
agricultural activities in motion. Its arrival is welcomed with the celebration of festivals,
singing and dancing.
NAGEEN GROUP
tamso ma jyotirgamaya
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Srnagar
Chandigath
B Delh
Jaipur
Lucknow
15 July Shtong imgha
Ahmeda
Bhopal Kolkat June
Nae Bhubanés
umbal
Mydersta 5June
Bangakore
IChenna
NAGEN GROUP