Rainfall Distribution

The Indian weather is a form of monsoonal climate. Agriculture provides a considerable amount of money to the Indian economy, as Indian agriculture is heavily reliant on rainfall, which is why it plays a vital part not only for human nutrition but also ultimately benefiting the national growth. According to a dataset got from the Weather forecasting Department, the rainfall totals in India are approximately 120cm.

RAINFALL DISTRIBUTION IN INDIA.

The 4 zones of rainfall throughout India are categorized below.

Insufficient Rainfall Zone (less than 50cm of rainfall)

• This rainfall zone is found in Andhra Pradesh, some regions of Karnataka as well as regions of Maharashtra, Ladakh, and a vast area of Rajasthan. Jaisalmer is an area in Rajasthan that counts for receiving the least rainfall in India.

Low Rainfall Zone (50cm – 100cm of rainfall)

• This rainfall zone is found in Maharashtra, some areas in Gujarat, some places in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and sparsely in Western Uttar Pradesh.

Medium Rainfall Zone (100cm – 200cm of rainfall)

• The various zones of abundant rainfall in India are geographically separated from each other. First, the Western Ghats have a thin strip that runs North-to-South across the Ghats’ entire length. The frequency of rainy seasons rises as one travels South. For example, the North has 4 rainy periods between June and September whereas the Midlands have 5 rainy months ranging from June to October. 

High Rainfall Zone (200cm – 300cm of rainfall)

• The most notable rainfall occurs on the West side, in the Western Ghats, including the sub-Himalayan areas of the upper East along Meghalaya’s slopes. The North-Eastern region and also the windward portion of the Central Highlands receive an average of 400cm of rain every year. Rain in the Brahmaputra Valley and its surrounding hills experience less than 200cm of rainfall. This zone includes locations that receive 200cm-300cm of rain each year. This zone is primarily found in Eastern India.

WHY IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF RAINFALL UNEVEN IN INDIA?

• Relief
• When the Arabian Sea’s branches of monsoon rainfall hit the Mountain Range, humid winds provide heavy rain. Mawsynram (a town in the East Khasi Hills district of the Meghalaya state) experiences a greater amount of rain as a result of its relief. Rain is brought by the Bay of Bengal cyclone, which is a component of the South-West downpours.
• Range from the Sea
• Regions that are located around the shore receive more rainfall than those located further away from the shoreline due to less humid air, therefore inhibiting cloud formation.
• ITCZ (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone)
• The ITCZ is the region that circles the Earth, near the equator, where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. The intense sun and warm water of the equator heats the air in the ITCZ, raising its humidity. This can cause distribution in the heat of the surrounding areas, therefore affecting cloud formation.
• Cyclonic disturbances
• Cyclonic recessions that form over the Andaman Sea and generally reach India’s Eastern shores fuel significant rainfall to the Godavari, Krishna & Kaveri deltas, and the coastlines of Orissa and West Bengal.

CONCLUSION

Monsoon in India is irregular, not well distributed, and unpredictable. The average annual rainfall in India is 110cm – 125cm but it is still very reliable. India falls in the monsoon climatic region, and rainfall is the backbone of Indian agriculture and economic activities; thus rain is very important to India. In India, the season of rainfall starts mainly in July/August and it is more orographic thus heavy rains fall in the Western Ghats’ windward slope and when the rainfall is scarce, mostly on the downstream side as a result, Mahabaleshwar which is situated on the windward side, experiences well over 250cm of rainfall. However, Pune, which is on the leeward side, receives below 70cm of rainfall. Only a scant amount of rainfall is received from cyclones and convectional rainfall.