India’s Climate

India is a unique country concerning its diversities. Vegetables, soil, physical, and cultural characteristics vary. Their climate has a direct impact on their variety. The climate of a region is defined as the average weather conditions during 30 years for that location. Temperature, precipitation, pressure, wind direction and velocity, humidity, and the percentage of cloudiness and sunshine are all factors that influence a region's climate. India's climate is classified as monsoon-type. 

As we know, the climate is very important for every country and every human being. That's why, this article covers all questions which are related to climate such as, explaining the factors affecting India’s climate, explaining any five factors that affect the climate of India. The climate of India is influenced by elements like latitude, altitude, pressure, and so on. From the Rann of Kuchchh in the west to Mizoram in the east, the Tropic of Cancer runs through the country. India is located in the north-eastern hemisphere. These winds originate in the northern hemisphere's subtropical high-pressure system. Many diverse causes influence the climate around the world, resulting in climate differences in different places of the globe. The factors that influence the climate of India are the following factors:

• Location and Latitudinal Extent

• The northern mountain ranges

• Physiography

• Upper air circulations

• Distance from the sea

• Tropical Cyclones and Western Disturbances

• El-Nino Effect

• Southern Oscillation

• La Nina

• Monsoon Winds

Explain the Factors Affecting India’s Climate

1. Location and Latitudinal Extent

The Indian mainland extends roughly from 8°N to 37°N, with the Tropic of Cancer passing through the country's center. Areas south of the Tropic of Cancer are closer to the equator and have a hotter climate all year. The northern parts, on the other hand, are in a hotter climate. As a result, they have lower temperatures than the rest of the world. During the winter, several regions experience extremely cold temperatures. The Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, which surrounds peninsular India, keep the climate mild coastlines.

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2. The Northern Mountain Ranges

As previously stated, the Himalayan mountain ranges form an artificial hurdle between India and the rest of Asia. During the winter, these hills shield India from Central Asia's extremely cold and dry winds. Furthermore, these mountain ranges operate as a physical barrier, keeping rain-bearing south-west monsoon winds from crossing India's northern borders. As a result, the Himalayan mountain ranges serve as a climate barrier between India and Central Asia.

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3. Physiography

The physiography of India has a significant impact on main climate variables such as temperature, air pressure, wind direction, and rainfall. In truth, India's physical geography is inextricably linked to the country's meteorological conditions. Even though they are in peninsular India, such as Ooty, places at greater altitudes enjoy a chilly climate. The Himalayan peaks and several hill stations are significantly cooler than the Great Plain of North India. The distribution of rainfall in peninsular India shows the most physiographic control. The southwest monsoon winds from the Arabian Sea strike the Western Ghats almost perpendicularly, leading to abundant rainfall on the Western Coastal Plain and the Western Ghats' western slopes.

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Large regions of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, are in the rainshadow or leeward side of the Western Ghats and receive little rainfall. The tremendous Himalayas' physiographic control over the country's climate goes without saying. The physiographic features split the monsoon winds from the Bay of Bengal into two branches. Through the Meghalaya plateau, one branch leads to the Brahmaputra valley. The Bay of Bengal's other monsoon branch joins the Ganga valley. The Himalayan ranges obstruct its northward movement, thus it moves westward up the Ganga plain. This branch causes considerable rainfall at first, but as the monsoons advance westwards, they lose most of their moisture content, and the amount of rainfall reduces.

4. Upper-Air Circulation

Changes in the upper air circulation above the Indian landmass have a significant impact on India's climate. The Indian climate is influenced by jet streams in the upper atmosphere in the following ways:

(i) Westerly Jet Stream:

During the winter, the westerly jet stream blows at a high speed over the subtropical zone. The Himalayan ranges split this jet stream in two. This jet stream's northern branch blows along the barrier's northern edge. Along 25° north latitude, the southern branch blows eastwards south of the Himalayan ranges. This branch of the jet stream, according to meteorologists, has a considerable impact on India's winter weather conditions. This jet stream is responsible for bringing western disturbances into the Indian subcontinent from the Mediterranean region. In the northern plains, these are usually followed by cold waves.

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(ii) Easterly Jet

The apparent shift of the sun's vertical rays in the northern hemisphere causes a reversal in higher air circulation in the summer. The westerly jet stream has given way to the easterly jet stream, which has its origins in the Tibet plateau's heating. This results in the formation of an easterly cold jet stream that blows through peninsular India and is focused at 15°N latitude. The fast onset of the southwest monsoons is assisted by this.

5. Distance from the sea

The climate is equable or marine in areas near the coast. Interior places, on the other hand, lack the calming impact of the sea and suffer a harsh or continental climate. The yearly temperature range in Kochi, for example, can not exceed 3°C, whereas it can reach 20°C in Delhi. Similarly, Kolkata receives 119 cm of annual rainfall, whereas Bikaner gets just 24 cm.

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6. Tropical Cyclones and Western Disturbances

Tropical cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, and they affect much of India's peninsula. The majority of cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal and have an impact on the weather during the southwest monsoon season. Some cyclones form during the monsoon season's retreat, in October and November, and have an impact on weather conditions along India's eastern coast. Under the influence of the westerly jet stream, western disturbances originate over the Mediterranean Sea and travel eastward. They have an impact on the winter weather in the Northern Plains and Western Himalayan region. 

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7. El-Nino Effect

El Nino is a narrow warm circulation that emerges off the coast of Peru every few years in December. It's a stand-in for the frigid Peru Current, which regularly runs along the coast. This current is to blame for widespread floods and droughts in the world's tropical regions. It can grow more severe at times, raising the sea's surface water temperatures by 10°C. The warming of tropical Pacific seas has an impact on world pressure and wind patterns, especially the Indian Ocean monsoon winds. El-Nino, according to meteorologists, was to blame for India's catastrophic drought in 1987.

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8. La Nina

Weather conditions return to normal after an El Nino. However, trade winds can sometimes become so strong that they cause abnormal cold water accumulation in the central and eastern Pacific. This phenomenon is known as La Nina, and it is the polar opposite of El Nino. An active hurricane season coincides with a La Nina. The presence of La Nina, on the other hand, heralds very wonderful news in India. It's a harbinger of India's monsoons.

9. Southern Oscillation

Between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, there is a curious correlation of weather changes which is frequently observed. It has been observed that when the surface level pressure over the Indian Ocean is high, the pressure over the Pacific Ocean is low, and vice versa. Southern Oscillation is the name given to the interplay of high and low pressure over the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The southwest monsoons in India tend to be stronger when winter pressure is high over the Pacific Ocean and low over the Indian Ocean. The monsoons, on the other hand, are predicted to be weaker.

10.  Monsoon Winds

The monsoon winds, which are the most dominant factor in the Indian climate, are commonly referred to as the monsoon climate. The complete reversal of monsoon winds results in an abrupt change in seasons, with the hot summer season giving way to the much-anticipated monsoon or rainy season. The Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal's southwest summer monsoons send rain to the entire country. Except for the Coromandel coast after receiving moisture from the Bay of Bengal, the north-eastern winter monsoons go from land to sea and do not bring substantial rainfall.

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India's climate is classified as monsoon-type. India is located in the north-eastern hemisphere. The Tropic of Cancer runs from the Rann of Kuchchh in the west to Mizoram in the east. The climate of India is influenced by elements like latitude, altitude, pressure, and humidity.