Climate:
Refers to the atmospheric conditions of a large area over a long period of time
The Indian climate is described as monsoon type
Summer - some parts of rajasthan experiences temperatures upto 50 degrees, whereas
Pahalgam in J and K reached 20 degrees
Winter - Drass in J and K reached -45 degrees whereas Thiruvananthapuram has temperature
of 22 degrees
Rain - Annually it varies from 400cm of rain in Meghalaya to less than 10 cm in Ladakh and
west rajasthan
Most of the country receives rainfall from June to Sept.
Parts of the coast receive rainfall from october to nov.
There is a decrease of rainfall from east to west in the northern plains
Weather:
Refers to the atmospheric conditions of an area at any point of time
Elements of weather:
Temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity, rain.
Factors affecting climate:
Latitude: variation in solar energy received due to latitudes
Altitude: Altitude causes drop in temperature and denser atmosphere
Pressure and winds: influence temp. And rain fall
Distance from the sea : moderates extremities of the climate
Factors affecting indian climate:
Latitudes: The tropic of cancer (rann of kuchchh in west through mizoram in east) cuts the
country in half. The southern half lies in the tropical zone and experiences tropical climates
whereas the northern half lies in subtropical zone and experiences subtropical climates
Altitudes: The himalayas in the north have a height of about 6,000 m and the coastal area has a
max. Elevation of 30 m. The himalayas deflect cold winds from the northeast, giving india milder
winters
Pressure and winds: The northeasterly winds try to enter india but get blocked by the himalayas.
If they had entered india would be a very dry land as the winds carry no moisture
In winter - a high pressure area is created north of the himalayas causing winds to go over the
himalayas to low pressure zones in the south
In summer - a low pressure zone is created in north india causing winds from below the equator
to travel from the south to north india, taking moisture with them and causing rainfall. These are
known as southwest monsoon winds
Monsoon:
The seasonal reversal of winds during a year is known as monsoon
Monsoon winds cover the country in a month
Mawsynram in khasi hills receives highest rainfall
Break in monsoon has wet and dry spells
Withdrawal of monsoon by october
Rise in temp. (october heat)
Cyclonic depression originating from andamans causes high rainfall
