How Many Types Of Monsoons Are There In India?

How Many Types Of Monsoons Are There In India?

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Aug 03, 2023 10:43 AM IST

One of the most well-known monsoon systems in the world is the Indian Monsoon. The range and volume of India's annual rainfall serve to illustrate it. India, the Indian subcontinent, and the nearby sea bodies of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean are all affected by it. In India, the monsoon is known as the northeast monsoon during the cold months and the southwest monsoon during the warmest months of the year. The monsoon winds blow from the northeast during the winter months. The end result of the entire process is the rain India experienced in June and July.

Origin of Monsoon

The Indian Monsoon is initiated by the westerly winds around the Equator, and the monsoon season starts with the onset of southwest monsoon winds in May over Sri Lanka. The monsoon winds move from the heat sink over the southern Indian Ocean to the heat source area in India due to differences in heat regions, and the release of condensation heat from cumulonimbus clouds along the intercontinental convergence zone. The upper-air circulation and subtropical jet stream also change as the sun moves northward, and the monsoon season typically lasts from June to September. Heavy rainfall occurs if the relative humidity in coastal areas of India exceeds 70%.

Types of Monsoon in India

There are two main types of monsoons in India: the Southwest Monsoon and the Northeast Monsoon. It often occurs between April and September. As winter comes to a close, warm, humid air from the southwest Indian Ocean drifts toward countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. During the summer monsoon, these places have a humid environment with torrential downpours. The summer monsoon is crucial to India and Southeast Asia.

1. Southwest monsoon

  • These southwest monsoons are caused by strong storms that form in the Tibetan Plateau due to the region's extreme summer temperatures.

  • They carry a lot of water as they pass through warm tropical currents.

  • When these winds meet or collide with mountain obstacles, they start to rain.

  • After crossing the equator, these southeast trade winds cross the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and then get caught up in the Indian air current.

  • After crossing the equator, continue southwest.

  • As a result, it was called the Southwest Monsoon.

  • Winds during the monsoon season bring heavy rains to the region.

2. Northeast Monsoon

  • During this sort of monsoon, the wind blows from the sea to the land.

  • The Northeast Monsoon, which only affects South India, brings rain from October to December in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Mahe, and southern interior Karnataka.

  • Low-pressure systems, depressions, cyclones, and the accompanying rainfall all contribute to the winter monsoon.

  • The majority of Tamil Nadu's rainy season, which lasts for these three months, lasts for 48% (447.4 mm) of the state's annual rainfall.

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