Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
Uttar Pradesh is situated in the northern part of India. The name literally translates to “Northern Province.” It is India’s most populous state and the world’s most populous nation subdivision. UP is home to over 200 million people. Uttar Pradesh’s capital is Lucknow, and Kanpur is the state’s industrial and economic powerhouse. The state experiences a tropical monsoon type climate, though variations occur due to altitude differences. The below article concerns the brief geography of UP and focuses on the state’s climatic conditions and predominant seasons.
Uttar Pradesh: Location
Uttar Pradesh is situated in the northern part of India with an overall land area of 2,40,928 square kilometres. The state is bordered on the north by Uttarakhand and Nepal, on the northwest by Delhi and Haryana, and on the west by Rajasthan. UP shares its border in the southwest with Madhya Pradesh, in the east with Bihar, and in the southeast with Jharkhand.
Uttar Pradesh is divided into three distinct topographical regions. The northern Himalayan region is the first. It features a very rugged and diversified landscape. The topography ranges in elevation from 300 metres to 5000 metres. The central Gangetic Plain is the second. It contains exceptionally fertile and rich alluvial soils. The Gangetic Plain is a flat terrain interspersed with numerous lakes, rivers, and other natural features. The third region is the southern Vindhya Hills and Plateau. It has a diversified landscape of plains, valleys, hills, and plateaus.
Uttar Pradesh’s Climate
Uttar Pradesh’s climate is generally humid and subtropical. The winters are mostly dry. The climate in several portions of Western U.P. is hot and semi-arid.
Many authors believe that the climate in Uttar Pradesh is mainly a tropical monsoon. However, there are variances due to differences in altitude. The Himalayan region has a moderately cold climate. In the plains, the average temperature ranges from 3-4°C in January to 43-45°C in May and June. But, altogether, the enormous Indo-Gangetic Plain, which makes up the majority of the state, has a basically uniform climate pattern with minor regional differences.
Predominant Seasons in UP
Uttar Pradesh experiences four seasons with a humid subtropical climate. Winter, which lasts till February, is followed by summer, which lasts from March to May. The monsoon season lasts from June to September. According to the IMD (Indian Meteorological Department) categorization, UP has three distinct seasons:
- November to February is the winter season.
- March, April, and May are the summer months.
- June, July, August, September, and October are the months of the South-West Monsoon.
The Summer season in Uttar Pradesh is extremely hot and dry, with temperatures soaring above 48°C between March and June. During this season, parts of UP experience a dust-laden, dry and hot wind known as the Loo.
Winters are cool with mostly clear skies. Fog persists in a few parts of the state during this time. The temperature drops to 3–4 °C in the morning, and it may go below -1°C sometimes. The months of December and January are most likely to have pleasant days with average temperatures between 20 and 25 ° C. With an average maximum of 23°C, January is the coldest month.
Rainfall in Uttar Pradesh
The average annual rainfall is approximately 650 millimetres in the southwestern part of UP. The precipitation is around 1000 millimetres in the southeast and east of UP. The southwest monsoon contributes the majority of the rain in the summer. The retreating monsoons, while present, have a limited impact on Uttar Pradesh’s climate.
Only sporadic moderate showers occur during the winter due to the retreating monsoon. Most of these precipitations are caused by western disturbances rather than the monsoon. So, rain from the northeast monsoon and western disturbances add tiny amounts to the state’s overall precipitation in the winter.
Prevalence of Flood and Drought
The yearly average rainfall in Uttar Pradesh varies from 170 cm in the highland to 84 cm in the west of UP. Rainfall occurs mostly during the four months of the monsoon season. As a result, Excess rain causes floods. The rest of the year, the state doesn’t get much rainfall which causes droughts in certain parts. So, floods and droughts are typical occurrences throughout UP.
Hot waves and Cold waves
Uttar Pradesh climate is known to fluctuate across the state. The temperature ranges between 0 and 46 degrees Celsius. The Gonda district of UP has experienced extreme temperatures of about 50 °C. Given the large temperature variations in most areas of UP, hot or cold waves can occur, resulting in a fatality and economic impact.
Conclusion
Uttar Pradesh’s climate is pretty fluctuating and extreme. Although, the enormous Indo-Gangetic Plain, which makes up most of the state, has a basically uniform climate pattern with minor regional differences. The summers are hot and very dry, accompanied by dust-laden winds (Loo) blowing across most parts of the state. In winters, UP observes pleasant weather with mostly clear skies. However, the temperature drops even below -1°C sometimes. The monsoons account for approximately 85% of the 990 mm of yearly rainfall. Rainy days result in a small drop in temperature.
