Day-5 Answer Writing Challenge : Model Answer

Question:  Briefly explain retreating monsoon in India. (4 Marks)

Answer: 

The months of October and November are known for retreating monsoons. By the end of September, the low pressure trough starts moving southward in response to the southward march of the sun. The south- west monsoon winds weaken and start withdrawing gradually.

The retreat of the monsoon is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature. While day temperatures are high, nights are cool and pleasant. The land is still moist. Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive during the day. This is commonly known as ‘October heat’. In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly in northern India.

The weather in the retreating monsoon is dry in north India but it is associated with rain in the eastern part of the Peninsula. Here, October and November are the rainiest months of the year.

The widespread rain in this season is associated with Tropical cyclones primarily in the eastern coastal plains of India. A bulk of the rainfall of the Coromondal coast is derived from these depressions and cyclones. Such cyclonic storms are less frequent in the Arabian Sea.