Understanding the Indian monsoon

As we all know, monsoon brings relief from the scorching summer heat. Farmers look forward to the monsoon in order to sow the seeds. Monsoon provides life-giving water to plants, animals and humans alike.

So how do monsoons occur?

During summer, the land across India becomes very hot. This creates an area of low pressure above the land. The low pressure attracts or pulls in wind from the nearby ocean. These winds from the ocean are very cool and they contain water drops in the form of clouds.

As the winds reach across the country, they encounter high mountains such as the Western Ghats on the west coast and then further inside, the high Himalayas. These mountains stop the winds from going any further. The clouds therefore shed their rain over India. This is how the monsoon takes place.

Monsoon Facts

• The name ‘monsoon’ is believed to be derived from the Arabic word ‘mausam’, which means weather or a shift in season or wind.
• There are nearly 500,000 lightning strikes during a monsoon-season
• Since India is an agricultural country, monsoon is very important

Isn’t it Amazing?
During the rainy season, it’s common to see a mouse on the back of the frog. They do this to escape the floodwaters, as frogs ferry them to a place of safety.

South-West Monsoon

The South-West Monsoon takes place between June and September. During these months, most part of India, including cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkatta get rainfall.

North-East Monsoon

The North-East Monsoon takes place between October and December. During these months, states such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh get rainfall.

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