Climatic Variations in India

Sharply contrasting relief features of India has created regional diversities in climatic conditions. The climatic conditions of southern India are a bit different from those of the northern parts with respect to temperature, rainfall and commencement as well as duration of different seasons.

During June, the north western plains experience high temperature around 45°C when areas of Rajasthan desert record day temperatures around 55°C, while the temperatures around Gulmarg or Pahalgam in Kashmir are hardly around 20°C. Similarly, in the month of December, the people of Kargil or Dras (in Jammu & Kashmir) experience biting cold because the night temperatures drop to -40°C, while the inhabitants of Thiruvananthapuram experience temperatures around 27°C.

The range of temperature increases as one moves away from coastal areas to interior parts of the country. As a result, the people living along Konkan and Malabar coasts do not experience extremes of temperatures or marked change in seasons. On the other hand, people living in north western parts of India, experience sharp seasonal contrasts.

The diversity in rainfall distribution is equally striking. Mausimram, near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, receives about 1080 cm of rainfall annually, while Jaisalmer in the desert of Rajasthan receives only 20 cm of annual rainfall. The northeastern parts and the coastal plains of Orissa and West Bengal experience spells of heavy rain during July and August while the Coromondel coast of Tamilnadu receive very meager rain during these months.

The shape, size, location, latitudinal extent of the country and its contrasting relief have resulted in diverse climatic conditions in different parts of India. Climatic diversity is reflected in regional variations in temperature, amount of rainfall and commencement as well as duration of seasons.