CLIMATE OF INDIA
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 percipitation.
- 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. CLIMATE OF INDIA
- The world is divided into a number of climatic region.
- 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.
- 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.
- There are variations not only in the form and types of precipitation but also in its amount and the seasonal distribution. CLIMATE OF INDIA
- 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 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. CLIMATE OF INDIA
