Question

Study the climatic data given below and answer the questions that follow:

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temperature °C	23.1	24.8	26.5	29.3	32	32.8	33.1	32.1	30.5	29.3	28.7	26.1
Rainfall cm	15.3	10.1	0.3	0.1	1.3	4.5	6.1	10.2	10.5	20.1	16.8	19.0

1. Calculate the annual rainfall experienced by the station.
2. What can you conclude about the climate of this station - is it maritime or continental? How did you come to this conclusion?
3. Name the season during which rainfall is the heaviest. Name a probable station satisfying this criteria.

Answer 1

1. Annual rainfall is (15.3 + 10.1 + 0.3 + 0.1 + 1.3 + 4.5 + 6.1 + 10.2 + 10.5 + 20.1 + 16.8 + 19.0) = 114.3 cm.
2. The station has a relatively low annual temperature range (max 33.1°C in July, min 23.1°C in January), and has rainfall distributed with maximum in the later months (October-November-December) which suggests influence from moist sea winds. The low annual temperature range suggests it is not far from the moderating influence of the sea. Hence, the climate is maritime.
3. The heaviest rainfall occurs in the “Retreating monsoon” or winter season (October-November-December), as the rainfall values are highest in these months (20.1 cm in October, 16.8 cm in November, 19.0 cm in December). A probable station satisfying this criterion is Chennai on the east coast of India, which receives maximum rainfall during the retreating monsoon season and has a maritime climate with low temperature range.