{"id":80897,"date":"2026-01-03T18:17:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T12:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=80897"},"modified":"2026-01-03T18:17:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T12:47:17","slug":"climate-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/climate-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate of India, Climatic Regions, Seasons, Factors Affecting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Climate of India is extremely diverse due to its vast size, varied relief, latitude, and monsoon driven wind systems. From tropical coasts to alpine Himalayas, India experiences sharp contrasts in temperature, rainfall, and seasonal patterns, making it one of the world\u2019s most climatically complex countries.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Climate of India<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India largely experiences a tropical monsoon climate, but its climatic conditions vary significantly across regions due to altitude, distance from the sea, and other factors. According to the K\u00f6ppen classification, India includes tropical wet, tropical savanna, arid desert, semi arid steppe, humid subtropical, montane, sub arctic, tundra, and ice cap climates. The Himalayas block cold Central Asian winds, while the Thar Desert intensifies monsoon circulation. Average annual temperatures range from below 20\u00b0C in Himalayan zones to above 27.5\u00b0C across most of peninsular India.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Climatic Regions of India<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are multiple Climatic Regions in India influenced by temperature, rainfall patterns, altitude variation, monsoon influence, humidity, etc. The major Climatic Regions of India are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tropical Monsoon Climate: Found along the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/western-ghats\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Western Ghats<\/strong><\/a>, northeast India, and islands, this region receives over 2000 mm rainfall annually with year round temperatures above 18\u00b0C.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tropical Savanna Climate: Dominant over peninsular interiors, it records 750 &#8211; 1500 mm rainfall, long dry seasons, and extreme summer temperatures often exceeding 40\u00b0C.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arid Desert Climate: Western Rajasthan experiences less than 300 mm annual rainfall, large diurnal temperature range, and summer maxima crossing 50\u00b0C.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Semi Arid Steppe Climate: Covering parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, this zone receives 400 &#8211; 750 mm rainfall and is drought prone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humid Subtropical Climate: Northern plains and northeast India receive 1000 &#8211; 2500 mm rainfall with hot summers, cool winters, and strong monsoon dependence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Subtropical Highland Climate: Himalayan foothills show mild summers, cold winters, frequent fog, and rainfall influenced by monsoon and western disturbances.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Montane and Alpine Climate: High Himalayas experience sharp temperature fall with altitude, heavy snowfall above 1500 m, and tundra like conditions beyond snowline.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Seasons of India<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ancient Indian calendars divide the year into six ritus: Vasanta (Spring), Grishma (Summer), Varsha (Monsoon), Sharad (Autumn), Hemanta (Pre-winter) and Shishira (Winter). However, the India Meteorological Department recognizes four main seasons as given below:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Winter Season (December &#8211; February): Temperatures range from 10 &#8211; 15\u00b0C in northwest plains to 25\u00b0C in south; western disturbances cause rainfall and snowfall.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summer Season (March &#8211; May): Temperatures exceed 40\u00b0C in interiors; Rajasthan recorded 51.0\u00b0C at Phalodi in May 2016, India\u2019s highest verified temperature.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Southwest Monsoon Season (June &#8211; September): Supplies over 80% of annual rainfall; monsoon onset begins around June 1 in Kerala, covering India by July.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post Monsoon Season (October &#8211; November): Northeast monsoon brings rainfall to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and coastal Andhra Pradesh after southwest monsoon withdrawal.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additional Spring Phase: Himalayan and northern plains experience a short spring with mild temperatures before intense summer heating begins.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Climate of India Features<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s climate shows distinct characteristics influenced by the monsoon reversal, rainfall concentration, temperature extremes, regional atmospheric variability, etc. The key features of the Climate of India are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monsoon Wind Reversal: Seasonal reversal of winds causes moist southwest monsoon in summer and dry northeast winds in winter.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seasonal Rainfall Concentration: Over 75% to 80% rainfall occurs between June and September, creating flood &#8211; drought cycles across regions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extreme Temperature Range: Temperatures vary from -45\u00b0C at Dras, Ladakh, to over 51\u00b0C at Phalodi, Rajasthan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High Regional Variability: Mawsynram receives over 11,800 mm rainfall annually, while Jaisalmer receives less than 100 mm.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coastal Moderation: Coastal areas experience smaller diurnal temperature ranges due to maritime influence of the Indian Ocean.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Natural Disaster Proneness: Floods, <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/cyclones\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>cyclones<\/strong><\/a>, droughts, heatwaves, and landslides frequently occur due to climatic variability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Factors Affecting Climate of India<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Climate of India is controlled by latitude, relief, pressure systems, wind patterns, oceanic influence, and large scale atmospheric circulation:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Latitude: Tropic of Cancer divides tropical south and subtropical north, influencing <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/solar-radiation\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>solar radiation<\/strong><\/a> and seasonal temperature variation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Himalayas: Act as a barrier preventing cold Central Asian winds and forcing monsoon winds to release moisture over India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thar Desert: Helps attract southwest monsoon winds by creating intense low pressure zones during summer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Distance from Sea: Coastal regions experience moderated temperatures, while interiors face extreme heat and cold.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Altitude: Temperature decreases with height, producing temperate and alpine climates in hill regions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jet Streams: Tropical easterly and subtropical westerly jets influence monsoon onset, withdrawal, and rainfall intensity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Western Disturbances: Mediterranean origin storms bring winter rain and snow to northwest India and Himalayas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ocean Currents: Warm Indian Ocean waters enhance evaporation and monsoon moisture supply, and eventually leading to various phenomena such as El Nino, La Nina, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Climate Change<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/climate-change\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Climate Change<\/strong><\/a> is intensifying temperature rise, glacier retreat, extreme events\u00a0 and sea level risks across India\u2019s diverse climatic regions.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rising Temperatures: India\u2019s mean temperature increased by about 0.7\u00b0C between 1901 and 2018, increasing heatwave frequency.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Glacier Retreat: Himalayan glaciers are shrinking, threatening long term flows of Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Indus rivers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extreme Rainfall: Cities like Mumbai have recorded single day rainfall above 900 mm, increasing flood risks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sea Level Rise: Coastal zones face erosion and saline intrusion, affecting livelihoods and mangrove ecosystems.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emissions Profile: India emits around 3 gigatonnes CO2 equivalent annually, about 7% of global emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vulnerability Ranking: India ranks among the most climate affected countries due to population exposure and economic dependence on monsoon.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Climate of India is diverse, featuring varied regions, seasons, monsoon patterns, temperature extremes, and impacts of climate change across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":80856,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[4547],"class_list":{"0":"post-80897","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-climate-of-india","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}