Describe the regional variation in the climatic conditions of India with the help of suitable examples.

Despite an overall unity in the general pattern, there are perceptible regional variations in climatic conditions within the country.

(i) Temperature - Barmer (Rajasthan) has recorded day temperatures of 50°C in summer, during day time (15°C at night), while hilly regions like Gulmarg (Kashmir) have a day temperature of 20°C in June. The winter temperatures at Dras and Kargil (Leh) fall as low as –45°C, on the other hand Chennai may record only 20°C in December. The annual range of temperature is about 12°C at Cochin while it is about 40°C in Punjab. Coastal regions have almost uniform temperatures throughout the year.

(ii) Monsoons - The dates of onset and withdrawal of monsoons differ in various parts. The west coast gets monsoons in the first week of June, while the interior parts like Punjab have monsoons by the first week of July.  Striking differences are found in rainfall pattern. Mawsynram (Meghalaya) with an annual rainfall of 1140 cms. is the rainiest place in the world, while Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) rarely gets more than 12 cms. of annual rainfall and Leh gets only 10 cm. of rainfall. The East coastal plain gets rain-storms while Coromandel coast remains dry. When Brahmaputra valley is submerged with floods, it drought in Bihar.

(iii) Seasons - The southern parts of the country have uniformly high temperatures throughout the year. There is no winter season in the south. On the other hand seasonal extremes are found in the north. ‘Loo’ produces a heat wave in summer while cold wave is felt in winter.