IN - India

In India, the rains are concentrated in specific periods, that is, during the monsoon season. There are two, one from the south-west and another from the north-east, named after the direction from which the winds blow. The southwest monsoon is the most important, the one that causes rainfall over much of the country and is vital for crops (and consequently for the economy). It lasts from June to September, mainly affects the west coast which is more verdant than the inland consequences. The north-east monsoon instead hits the east coast between October and February, especially in the form of occasional cyclones which, however, cause devastation. The only region that is affected by both monsoons is northeastern India which therefore has the highest rainfall rate in the world.

In India there are three seasons: summer, the rainy season (or monsoons) and winter, although in the tropics winter is characterized by temperatures around 25 ° C. In the north there may be peaks of heat and cold, but, except in the Himalaya region, the snow is almost unknown. From November to January there is the winter season, with April and May being the warm months when we wait for the rains. There is a sort of short spring in February and March, especially in northern India.

There are conflicting opinions as to whether India has an “autumn” or not, but the ancient inhabitants had identified it between the six seasons (Vasanta – summer, Greeshma – summer, Varsha – rain, Sharat – autumn, Shishira – winter , Hemanta – “mild winter”) into which they had divided the year.

The Indian climate is heavily influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar desert, which drives the monsoons. The Himalaya slows down the cold winds of Central Asia, keeping most of the subcontinent at a higher temperature than regions located at similar latitudes. The Thar desert plays a fundamental role in attracting the summer monsoon winds, with a high humidity rate, between June and October, which provides most of the rains during the year. Four large climatic clusters predominate in the country: humid tropical, dry tropical, humid subtropical, and mountain.