Seasons in India

Most places experience a few months of hot weather, a few months of rainy weather and a few months of cool or cold weather in a year. Each of these divisions of the year that have particular weather patterns are called seasons.

India has three main seasons during the year-summer, rainy season and winter. The general weather conditions of a place during these seasons determine the climate of the place.

SUMMER

The summer season starts in March or April and continues till May or June. In South India, it starts becoming hot in March and stays hot till after May. In North India, summer starts in April and goes on till June and July.

In summer, it is hot and dry in almost all parts of India, except the mountains. The Sun is very hot, and days are longer than nights. Hot dry winds called loo, blow in the Northern Plains. Dust storms are also common in the region.

The Coastal Plains are not so hot in summers because of the cool sea breeze. However, it is very humid, that is the amount of water vapour (or moisture) in the air is high. Humid weather is uncomfortable, as it makes us sweat a lot and the sweat takes a long time to

dry.

RAINY SEASON

From June onwards, winds full of moisture from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal start flowing to the land. They are called monsoon winds. They bring rain to India. This season is called the monsoon.

The rainy season starts in June in South India. In North India, it starts towards the end of June or beginning of July. It continues till September.

Some parts of India, such as the western coast and the north-eastern states, get very heavy rain. Mawsynram in the Khasi hills in Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall in India. Parts of the Northern Plains and the Southern Plateau receive heavy rainfall.

The Thar Desert in Rajasthan and the Rann of Kachchh receive very little rainfall. The Coromandel Coast receives rain in November-December.

The highest rainfall ever recorded in a day is 182.5 cm in the La Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The highest rainfall ever recorded in one year is 2540 cm in Cherrapunji, India.

WINTER

From October onwards, it starts becoming pleasant. The Sun is not so hot. The days start becoming shorter, and the nights longer. This marks the beginning of winter. It continues till February or March. January is the coldest month.

Winters are very cold in the Himalayas. Many places have snowfall. The Northern Plains are cold. The cold decreases as we go south. The Coastal Plains are pleasant during winters.