Tag: physical factors of earth

Monsoon is not just any heavy rain that lasts for a long time. Rather, monsoon is like a giant sea-breeze. A normal sea breeze changes daily, with the day-to-night change of land temperature as the sun rises and sets; monsoons change seasonally. Most of the time during the summer, the land is warmer than the ocean. This causes air to rise over the land and air to blow in from the ocean to fill the void left by the air that rose. As you know, rising air leads to cloud formation and precipitation. These monsoon clouds that form are full of moisture from the ocean, so they can produce heavy rainfall for long periods of time. Because the land stays warmer than the ocean for most of the summer and the ocean is a constant source of moisture, these heavy rains last for months at a time. A monsoon climate is marked by dry winters and wet summers. About a quarter of the globe experiences a monsoon climate. 

• Mahawat, in terms of Geography, is a small amount of winter rainfall due to western and north western cyclonic disturbances. 
  
• This is best for Rabi crops which are grown during winter season.
  
• Major Rabi crops in India include wheat, barley, mustard, sesame, peas etc.

A characteristic feature of the cold weather season over the northern plains is the inflow of cyclonic disturbances from the west and the northwest. These low-pressure systems originate over the Mediterranean Sea and West Asia and move into India along with the westerly flow. They cause the much-needed winter rains over the plains and snowfall in the mountains. This winter rainfall in northern parts of the country is locally known as 'mahawat'.

During the winter, the flow of air reverses. The continent cools rapidly forming a large area of high pressure over north central Asia, known as the Siberian High, and a smaller area over India. Now,the drier, colder air of the continent blows offshore creating the dry monsoon season. Many parts of southern India receive considerable rain from the northeast monsoon. Though the principal rainy season for interior Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep is the Southwest Monsoon season, rainfall continues till December in these  regions. Tamilnadu, in particular, typically gets nearly half its annual rain during this monsoon. It is known as Mavath.

This term was first used by the name as "monsoon" in English language in India during British period. The term monsoon has been originated from the Arabic term 'mawsumm' which means season.

A monsoon is a seasonal change in the direction of the prevailing, or strongest, winds of a region. Monsoons cause wet and dry seasons throughout much of the tropics. Monsoons are most often associated with the Indian Ocean, hence Monsoon is a physical feature that plays a vital role in controlling the winter temperature in India.Winters are cooler and pleasant and many states have an average temperature of 25 degrees C. The northeastern and the northern parts of the country experience extremely cold climates that can reach below 0-degree temperature.

Blossom showers are the showers that occur during hot weather or summer season. These showers help in the blossom of coffee flowers in Karnataka, Kerala and nearby area.