During warmer months sunlight heats the surfaces of both land and oceans , but land temperatures rise more quickly. As the land’s surface becomes warmer, the air above it expands and an area of low pressure develops. ... This is why summer monsoons cause so much rain over land.
How are monsoons formed?
Monsoons are caused by temperature differences in the air over land and sea . They blow from colder to warmer areas. In a monsoon region in summer the land and the air above it become very hot. The nearby sea and the air above it are cooler.
Why are the summer monsoons so Rainy?
The summer monsoon is associated with heavy rainfall . It usually happens between April and September. As winter ends, warm, moist air from the southwest Indian Ocean blows toward countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. The summer monsoon brings a humid climate and torrential rainfall to these areas.
How does Southwest monsoon occur?
The monsoon is driven by the sun heating up the land and the Pacific Ocean at different rates , with land surfaces warming more quickly than the ocean. The warm land creates low-pressure zones as hot air rises. Once this pattern establishes across the region, the winds shift to fill in the vacuum.
How do seasonal monsoon winds occur?
Monsoons usually blow from the land in winter (called the dry phase, because the wind is composed of cool, dry air), and from water to the land in summer (called the wet phase, because the wind is composed of warm, moist air), causing a drastic change in the precipitation and temperature patterns of the area impacted ...
What is the major cause of monsoon?
The primary cause of monsoons is the difference between annual temperature trends over land and sea . ... This low pressure regions sees continuous rise of moist wind from the sea surface to the upper layers of the atmosphere, where the cooling means the air can no longer hold so much moisture resulting in precipitation.
What are the disadvantages of monsoons?
What are the Disadvantages of the Monsoon Season? Monsoons have the potential to be extremely violent weather systems . Drought-stricken land can be suddenly drenched with several inches of rain. Arroyos and canyons are prone to flooding as runoff from higher areas rush to carry excess rainfall through to lower areas.
What is the effects of southwest monsoon?
Because the southwest monsoon flows from sea to land, it carries more moisture, and therefore causes more rain , than the northeast monsoon. Only part of the northeast monsoon passing over the Bay of Bengal picks up moisture, causing rain in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu during the winter months.
What is monsoon short answer?
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. Monsoons always blow from cold to warm regions.
What is the characteristics of southwest monsoon?
However, the southwest monsoon (late May to September) is characterised with low precipitation, less cloud, high outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) and often featured by dry epochs.
What type of wind is monsoon?
A monsoon is a seasonal wind system that shifts its direction from summer to winter as the temperature differential changes between land and sea. Monsoons often bring torrential summerrains, such as on the Indian subcontinent where the summer monsoon delivers three-quarters of the country’s annual precipitation.
What is known as onset of monsoon?
The onset of Monsoon refers to the period from early to mid June during which the first batch of the Monsoon winds arrive on the western coast of the Indian peninsula.
Why is monsoon called seasonal wind?
A monsoon is a seasonal reversal in wind patterns over a region . The word “monsoon” comes from the Arabic word mausim, meaning “season.” The seasonal wind shift is usually accompanied by a dramatic change in precipitation. The best known example of a monsoon occurs over the Indian subcontinent.
What are the types of monsoons?
- Monsoon Cycles. In India, Australia and other equatorial regions, monsoons move from cold, high pressure systems to warmer areas of less resistance with low atmospheric pressure. ...
- Summer Monsoons. ...
- Dry Monsoons. ...
- Embryo Monsoons.
What type of monsoon occurs during the month of July?
The southwestern summer monsoons occur from July through September. The Thar Desert and adjoining areas of the northern and central Indian subcontinent heat up considerably during the hot summers. This causes a low pressure area over the northern and central Indian subcontinent.
What months are monsoon season?
The North American monsoon (NAM) occurs from late June or early July into September , originating over Mexico and spreading into the southwest United States by mid-July.
