Question

What are the main characteristics of the Retreating Monsoon season?

Answer 1

Hint: Retreating, in plain words implies withdrawal. So, during October and November, the disappearance of south-western monsoon winds from the skies of northern India is known as the withdrawing monsoon. The withdrawal takes about three months and is incremental.

Complete answer:
Main Characteristics of Retreating Monsoon
- October and November are the months when the monsoon retreats.
- Low monsoon troughs get weak during this season and are replaced by high pressure. So, the monsoon is starting to withdraw. It will withdraw completely from the Northern Plains at the beginning of October.

This stage is the transition time from the hot rainy season to the cold winter season. It is characterized by a clear sky, moist soil, and high temperatures that give birth to the heat of October.

A trough of low pressure moves to the Bay of Bengal. They give rise to cyclonic depressions that cause havoc on the eastern coasts, especially with very strong storms and rains on the coasts of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The 1999 super cyclone will remain in the memory of millions of people who along with their savings, have lost their near and dear ones.

Skies are clearer with the advent of the retreating monsoon and clouds vanish. The absence of clouds gradually makes the atmosphere of different locations hotter. Extreme tropical cyclones are coming out of the Bay of Bengal. The October-November months are vulnerable to severe cyclones.


Note:
The Northeast Monsoon is also known as the Withdrawing Monsoon. During the retreating monsoon, most of India experiences infrequent and relatively poor precipitation. There is an exception to that rule along India's south-eastern coast and for some distance within. As a retreating monsoon blows through the Bay of Bengal from the northeast.