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Question
Give an account of the distribution of annual rainfall in India.
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Solution
The average annual rainfall of India is 110 cm. Regional variations in the distribution are found due to differences in relief of the country. Rainfall is unevenly distributed throughout the country. India can be divided into the following rainfall regions:
- Areas of Heavy Rainfall (more than 200 cm annually):
- Western Coast: Coastal regions like Kerala, Goa, and Maharashtra receive heavy rainfall due to proximity to the Arabian Sea.
- Western Ghats: The Windward side, especially Konkani and Malabar, experiences high rainfall due to orographic lifting.
- Northeast India: States like Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur receive extremely high rainfall. Mawsynram and Cherrapunji in Meghalaya are among the wettest places on Earth.
- Areas of Moderate Rainfall (100-200 cm annually):
- West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh experience moderate rainfall.
- Coastal Tamil Nadu: Receives moderate rainfall from the northeast monsoon (October–December).
- Areas of Very Little Rainfall (less than 50 cm annually):
- Western Rajasthan: The Thar Desert receives less than 250 mm of rainfall annually.
- Jammu and Kashmir: The Leh-Ladakh region receives very little precipitation, mostly in the form of snow.
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| Stations | Latitude | Altitude (Metres) | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May. | Jun. | July. | Aug. | Sep. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Annual Rainfall |
|
Temperature (°C) |
20.5 |
22.7 |
25.2 |
27.1 |
26.7 |
24.2 |
23.0 |
23.0 |
23.1 |
22.9 |
18.9 |
20.2 |
|||
| Bengaluru | 12°58'N | 909 |
|
|
|
||||||||||
| Rainfall (cm) | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 4.5 | 10.7 | 7.1 | 11.1 | 13.7 | 16.4 |
15.3 |
6.1 |
1.3 |
88.9 | ||
|
Temperature (°C) |
24.4 |
24.4 |
26.7 |
28.3 |
30.0 |
28.9 |
27.2 |
27.2 |
27.2 |
27.8 |
27.2 |
25.0 |
|||
|
Mumbai |
19° N | 11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainfall (cm) |
0.2 |
0.2 |
– |
– |
1.8 |
50.6 |
61.0 |
36.9 |
26.9 |
4.8 |
1.0 |
– |
183.4 | ||
|
Temperature (°C) |
19.6 |
22.0 |
27.1 |
30.1 |
30.4 |
29.9 |
28.9 |
28.7 |
28.9 |
27.6 |
23.4 |
19.7 |
|||
|
Kolkata |
22°34'N | 6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainfall (cm) |
1.2 |
2.8 |
3.4 |
5.1 |
13.4 |
29.0 |
33.1 |
33.4 |
25.3 |
12.7 |
2.7 |
0.4 |
162.5 | ||
|
Temperature (°C) |
14.4 |
16.7 |
23.3 |
30.0 |
33.3 |
33.3 |
30.0 |
29.4 |
28.9 |
25.6 |
19.4 |
15.6 |
|||
|
Delhi |
29° N | 219 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainfall (cm) |
2.5 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
1.0 |
1.8 |
7.4 |
19.3 |
17.8 |
11.9 |
1.3 |
0.2 |
1.0 |
67.0 | ||
|
Temperature (°C) |
16.8 |
19.2 |
26.6 |
29.8 |
33.3 |
33.9 |
31.3 |
29.0 |
20.1 |
27.0 |
20.1 |
14.9 |
|||
|
Jodhpur |
26°18'N | 224 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainfall (cm) |
0.5 |
0.6 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
1.0 |
3.1 |
10.8 |
13.1 |
5.7 |
5.7 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
36.6 | ||
|
Temperature (°C) |
24.5 |
25.7 |
27.7 |
30.4 |
33.0 |
32..5 |
31.0 |
30.2 |
29.8 |
28.0 |
25.9 |
24.9 |
|||
|
Chennai |
13°4'N | 7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainfall (cm) |
4.6 |
1.3 |
1.3 |
1.8 |
3.8 |
22.2 |
8.7 |
11.3 |
11.9 |
30.6 |
35.0 |
0.2 |
128.6 | ||
|
Temperature (°C) |
21.5 |
23.9 |
28.3 |
32.7 |
35.5 |
32.0 |
27.7 |
27.3 |
27.9 |
26.7 |
23.1 |
20.7 |
|||
|
Nagpur |
21°9'N | 312 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainfall (cm) |
1.1 |
2.3 |
1.7 |
1.6 |
2.1 |
22.2 |
37.6 |
28.6 |
18.5 |
5.5 |
2.0 |
13.9 |
124.2 | ||
|
Temperature (°C) |
9.8 |
11.3 |
15.9 |
18.5 |
19.2 |
20.5 |
21.1 |
20.9 |
20.9 |
17.2 |
13.3 |
10.4 |
|||
|
Shillong |
24°34'N | 1461 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainfall (cm) |
1.4 |
2.9 |
5.6 |
14.6 |
29.5 |
47.6 |
35.9 |
34.3 |
30.2 |
18.8 |
3.8 |
1.0 |
225.3 | ||
|
Temperature (°C) |
26.7 |
27.3 |
28.3 |
28.7 |
28.6 |
26.6 |
26.2 |
26.2 |
26.5 |
26.7 |
26.6 |
26.5 |
|||
|
Thiruvananthapuram |
8°29'N | 61 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainfall (cm) |
2.3 |
2.1 |
3.7 |
10.6 |
20.8 |
35.6 |
22.3 |
14.6 |
13.8 |
27.3 |
20.6 |
7.5 |
181.2 | ||
|
Temperature (°C) |
−8.5 |
−7.2 |
−0.6 |
6.1 |
10.0 |
14.4 |
17.2 |
16.1 |
12.2 |
6.1 |
0.0 |
−5.6 |
|||
|
Leh |
34°N | 3506 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainfall (cm) |
1.0 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
1.3 |
1.3 |
0.8 |
0.5 |
– |
0.5 |
8.5 |
In above Table the average mean monthly temperatures and amounts of rainfall of ten representative stations have been given. It is for you to study on your own and convert them into ‘temperature and rainfall’ graphs. A glance at these visual representations will help you to grasp instantly the similarities and differences between them. One such graph (Figure 1) is already prepared for you. See if you can arrive at some broad generalisations about our diverse climatic conditions. 
Why are there great variations in the climate of the Indian sub-continent?
The Northern Plains of India have a Continental type of climate.
Mention why does sub-continent have Tropical Monsoon climate.
Mention why does Mumbai receive more rainfall than Pune.
The source of the winter rain to Tamil Nadu.
Explain How is distribution of annual rainfall in related to the relief of the country? with examples.
Give reasons for the following topic:
Kolkatta receives more rainfall than Bikaner in Rajasthan.
