Added: 02/28/2006 |
The Climate in India may Surprise you!It is impossible not to be astonished and taken back by India. Nowhere on Earth you can meet and be amazed by such creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a huge, excessive scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. To understand this country is as difficult as to getting used to the India climate, which is almost as stunning as the country itself!
Before we start talking about climate in India let's have a brief look at the territory of this country. Probably everyone agrees that the territory plays one of the dominant roles in climate-forming.
Set apart from the rest of Asia by the supreme continental wall of the Himalayas, the Indian subcontinent touches three large bodies of water and is immediately recognizable on any world map. It is the huge, terrestrial beak between Africa and Indonesia. This thick, roughly triangular peninsula defines the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Arabian Sea to the west, and the India Ocean to the south. India is a vast country covering an area of 3,287,590 sq. km. The tremendous Himalayas ranges, stretching from east to west in the north, separate India from China and Nepal.
Where the Himalayan ranges end, there begin the great northern plains. Great number of rivers runs through the territory of plains, the Ganga and Brahmaputra being the most important of them all. The Deccan plateaus, south of the plains, have ranges of hills along the eastern and western coasts of the peninsula. The Krishna and the Godavari are the major rivers of the south. In the west the plains of the Punjab merge into the Thar Desert. That is the main reason of India having rich variety of landscapes and climates.
Because of the size, climate in India as well as its weather depends not only on the time of year, but also the location. Climate in India diversifies considerably from south to north. South territories of India has the Tropical monsoon while north ones possess moderate climate. While the heat is unbearable in the Gangetic plain, the people of Ladakh shiver in the snowy cold. The Indian year passes through four seasons. In general, temperatures tend to be cooler in the north, especially between September and March.
The south is coolest between November to January. In June, winds and warm surface currents begin to move northwards and westwards. This creates a phenomenon known as the south-west monsoon, and it causes heavy rains to the west coast. Between October and December, a similar climatic pattern called the north-east monsoon appears in the Bay of Bengal, bringing rains to the east coast. In addition to the two monsoons, there are two other seasons, spring and autumn.
You can explore India in all the seasons, but you will have to be selective about the destinations. Let's examine how the weather and climatic conditions changes depending on India regions:
The Northern Plains of India (to the north of River Ganga) has an extreme climate. Summers are hot, humid, and extremely harsh. From July to September, it's a territory of north-east monsoon that brings most of the rain received in this region. Winters are the most favored season to visit North India. The only thing to remember is that in spite of quite warm daily temperature; nights can be freezing cold.
The Western Himalayas' summer is the best time for exploration, as the climate remains pleasant with slightly cold evenings and plenty of sunny days. For the active rest lovers, Western Himalayas is the best lure. This region possesses great number of trekking, hiking, white water rafting, and mountaineering options during the summers. There is one more reason to visit India Western Himalayas - heavy snowfall and steep fall in temperature, makes many areas in this region inaccessible during the winters.
Central India - Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states - is the only area that escapes the very worst of the hot season, but monsoons are heavy between July and September. Temperature in this region ranges from warm in day to quite cold in the evening.
Western India's most comfortable months are from November to February; although evenings can be cold. Summer can be extremely hot with monsoon rainfall between mid-June and mid-September.
Southwest India's most pleasant weather is from November to March and monsoon rains are between late April and July. Summer is hot although humidity is extreme. There are cooling breezes on coast. Inland, Mysore and Bijapur have pleasant climates with relatively low rainfall.
As you see, the climate in India is extremely manifold and the average temperatures within the country range almost from 5 to 10°C. Hence, before traveling to this magic and extraordinary country, be ready for the climatic as well as weather changes.
Have a nice trip!
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