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The winter season (December to February): It is also called cold weather season. In this season direct rays of the Sun fall on Tropic of Capricorn. The temperature in the country is not uniform from north to south. 

Regions lying to the north of tropic of cancer record low temperature compared to regions in the south. There is a general decrease in temperature from south to north. 

December is the beginning of cold weather season and it extends up to February. The annual average temperature is around 18° C. In the northern parts of the plains temperature falls below 5°C. January is the coldest month in the year. Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, UP and parts of Bihar record very low temperature with snow storms. Though the rainfall is small, in some parts on North India it is beneficial for Rabi crops. Annual rainfall in this season is around 2%.

The Summer Season (March to May): The summer season is also known as hot weather season. It begins in March and continues up to May. During this season there is gradual increase n temperature from south north due to shifting of Sun rays from Tropic of Capricorn towards the Equator. In this period south Indian states- Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala record high temperature.

Some part of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka record more than 40° C of temperature. Sri Ganganagar of Rajasthan has recorded the highest temperature of above 52° C. The average temperature of the country will be around 24° C. In this season some parts of India receive convectional rainfall. During this season the country receives 10% of the annual rainfall.

Laterite soil found in Western Ghats, parts of Eastern Ghats and North eastern hills of India.

Forests are the one of the important natural resources. They provide various benefits to mankind and environment. 

The important benefits are:

1. Forests supply fresh air, food and fodder.

2. Forests are the rain bearers, help in causing good rainfall. 

3. They control soil erosion and desertification. 

4. Forest provides various products like bamboo, timber, resin, lac, gum cane, fuel, wood etc. 

5. They provide medicinal trees and plants used in ayurvedic medicines Eg.Neem tree. Basil, Brahmi etc. 

6. They provide shelter to various birds and animals. 

7. They absorb much of the rainwater and control floods and safeguards against drought. 

8. They act as wind breakers and protect the agricultural crops. 

9. The forest soils are rich in humus and thereby maintain the fertility of the soil. 

10. They provide raw materials to paper, match box, plywood and sports articles industries and they provide pastures for grazing animals.

High Temperature, Rainfall wind and waves are the natural agents. Deforestation, over grazing, shifting cultivation, unscientific methods of agriculture cause soil erosion.

The important characteristics of Laterite soils are: Laterite soils are red in colour. They are rich in Iron and Aluminum, but poor in potash, Lime, Nitrogen and Phosphoric Acid. They are less retentive of moisture. They are poor in fertility. But they respond very well to manuring. So, with the help of manuring they can be used for the cultivation of plantation crops, such as Tea, Coffee, Spices, Rubber, etc.

C. Days are shorter and nights are longer in winter.

B. October – November

B. Hot season

1. Seasons

2. Mawsynram

3. New Delhi

4. Bhadarvi Taap

5. monsoon

Tsunami came in December, 2004 in Andeman Nicobar, Coast of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala etc.

It caused death of thousands of persons and damage of property as well.

(a) 26 Dec. 2004.

(b) Aniriod Barometer

1. September

2. Rabi

3. Flowers

4. Moist

5. Coromandal

6. Dry and wet bulb thermometer

7. 10,500.

(i) Brazil experiences wide range of climatic variations due to its vast latitudinal extent, proximity to the Equator, presence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Escarpment.

(ii) The northern part of Brazil near the Equator is hot, while temperate type of climate is found near the Tropic of Capricorn.

(iii) Brazil gets rainfall from the South-East Trade Winds and the North-East Trade Winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean.

(iv) Convectional rainfall occurs in places near the equator. Whereas, the Escarpment act as an obstruction to the winds blowing from the sea and cause orographic type of rainfall in the coastal region.

(v) Beyond the Highlands the effects of these winds gets reduced, as a result the rainfall is minimal. This region is a rain-shadow region and is called ‘The Drought Quadrilateral.’

(vi) The Equator passes through the northern part of Brazil so the temperature here is high. Average temperature of Amazon valley is 25°-28°C. Climate is cooler in the highlands. While the temperatures in the southern part are comparatively lower.

(vii) In the coastal regions near the Equator in Brazil, differences in temperatures are negligible. Because of the proximity to the sea, the coast experiences mild and humid climate.

(viii) The winds move in the vertical direction in this region. Similarly, the convergence zone of the trade winds is weak here. So the tropical cyclones are a rare phenomena here.

Factors like temperature, atmospheric pressure, winds, humidity, rain etc on the surface of the earth that control the distribution and amount of elements of climate are called climatic factors.

(i) Latitude:

1. Sun rays fall vertically over equatorial region hence, it is hot throughout the year.
2. India is divided into two zones of different climatic conditions viz. torrid zone and temperate zone.
3. There is a distance of about 111 kilometres between two latitudes. So type of climate on the earth surface changes according to the latitude of the place concerned.
4. Thus, distribution of elements in climate mostly follow latitudes.

(ii) Distance from Sea:

1. Water and land have different capacity to conserve and release the solar heat.
2. As a result, coastal regions experience temperate climate, while the climate becomes continental in the interior places away from the sea coast.
3. Thus, the climate of Mumbai in India is temperate as it is near the sea coast, while it is continental at Nagpur or Delhi as these places are far from sea.

(iii) Altitude:

1. In normal conditions as we go higher air temperature decreases at 1° C for the ascent of 165 metres or by 6.5° for ascent of every 1000 metres.
2. As we go higher from sea-level, air pressure and air temperature decrease.
3. Due to the high altitude, the Himalayan peaks remain snow-covered throughout the year.
4. Moist air cools down when it rises and gives rain with increasing altitude of mountains, the rainfall increase.
5. In mountain regions of Assam and Meghalaya rainfall increases with increasing altitude.

(iv) Atmospheric Pressure and Winds:

1. India falls in the path of north-east trade winds.
2. These winds originate due to tropical high-pressure belt in northern hemisphere.
3. These winds deflect due to Coriolis force and blow towards equator.
4. These winds blow over landmass, they contain less moisture. But due to vast water mass located to the south of India, the winds contain moisture and bring rain in India.
5. During winter, high pressure develops to the north of Himalaya. Cold and dry winds from this region blow towards oceanic area where low pressure is created.
6. These winds tend to blow from Indian Ocean to low pressure in North India. Thus, these winds contain moisture and bring rain in India.

Nagpur is situated away from sea. Whereas Mumbai is situated on the sea shore. There is equable type of climate in Mumbai due to effect of sea. Therefore there is less cold.

In the opposite of it, Nagpur is situated far away from sea and free from sea effect. Therefore, extreme type of climate is found here.

Therefore, Nagpur is colder than Mumbai in winter.

1. Revolution of the earth around the sun is one of the main reasons for change in seasons.

2. The axis of the earth is tilted at 23.5° and makes an angle of 66.5° with the orbit. Seasons are also caused due to the axial tilt.

3. Regions receiving more sunlight experience summer while regions receiving less sunlight experience winter.

4. Sun rays fall vertically over Tropic of Capricorn on 22nd December. So, the southern hemisphere experiences summer and the northern hemisphere experiences winter.

5. Hence nights in India are longer and colder.

6. The sunrays are perpendicular over Tropic of Cancer on 21st June so the days are longer.

7. Rotation and revolution of the earth have a direct impact on the food, clothing and residences of man.

8. The winter, summer and monsoon winds affect the weather and give peculiar characteristics to it.

1. Sometimes a peculiar phenomenon takes place over places located at far off places from India which creates temporary changes in the long term climatic pattern.

2. Phenomena like Jet stream, Western Disturbances, E1 -Nino, ITCZ have affected the Indian weather to a great extent.

3. Jet stream (Jet winds) blow over the southern slopes of Himalayas during winter and in summer these are stationed over peninsular India. High altitude winds help to bring rain.

4. Western disturbances often causes disturbances in the pleasant winter weather of North India.

5. Very high mountains receive snowfall and the plains receive some rain which is useful to Rabi Crop. This may cause unseasonal rain in Gujarat which may damage crops.

6. The El-Nino phenomena takes place occasionally. Whenever it takes place changes occur in the duration of monsoon and amount of rainfall in India.

7. ITCZ is becomes stable over Ganga plains in July. Due to the low pressure developed over this region, winds generated over the oceans in southern hemisphere blow towards this area. It causes rain in a few parts of North India.

The answer is  (B) south to north

(i) The cold weather season begins from mid- November in northern India and stays till February. December and January are the coldest months in the northern part of India. The temperature decreases from south to the north. 

(ii) The average temperature of Chennai, on the eastern coast, is between 24° - 25° Celsius, while in the northern plains, it ranges between 10° -15° Celsius. Days are warm and nights are cold. Frost is common in the north and the higher slopes of the Himalayas experience snowfall. 

(iii) During this season, the northeast trade winds prevail over the country. They blow from land to sea and hence, for most part of the country, it is a dry season. Some amount of rainfall occurs on the Tamil Nadu coast from these winds as, here they blow from sea to land. 

(iv) A characteristic feature of the cold weather season over the northern plains is the inflow of cyclonic disturbances from the west and the northwest. These low-pressure systems, originate over the Mediterranean Sea and western Asia and move into India, along with the westerly flow. They cause the much-needed winter rains over the plains and snowfall in the mountains. Although the total amount of winter rainfall locally known as ‘mahawat’ is small, they are of immense importance for the cultivation of ‘rabi’ crops. 

Cool days and cold nights

1. (B)

2. (A)

3. (E)

4. (C)

4. (D)

The average forest cover of the country is 22.50%.

The protected area for the plants of country (wildlife) and maintenance of nature’s beauty is a called National Park.

Aniriod Barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. Instead of having a pool of mercury that the atmosphere is down on, they have a sealed, air-tight metal box inside the air pressure rises or falls, the box either squashes inward a tiny bit or flexes outward. A spring is cunningly attached to the box and as the box moves in and out it response to the changes in air pressure, the spring expands or contracts and moves the pointer on the dial. The dial is marked with numbers so you can read the air pressure instantly.

Rain Gauge is used to meausre rainfall and the amount of liquid precipitation over a set period time. Basically, it looks like a transparent cylinder with markings. You can read the amount of rainfall in inches or millimetres. It consists of a collector funnel and mechanism to recive and measure the collected water.

Such a thermometer is used to know about the temperature of a place. If we want to know about the climate of a place, we must know about its temperature. It consists of a U shaped glass tube with two separate temperature scales set along each arm of U. One of these is for recording the maximum temperature encountered and the other join the maximum temperature. The arms of the U-shaped tube terminate in sealed glass bulb. Temperature is measured in centimetre grade or degrees of Fahrenheit.

The hot season lasts from March to May. As the sun’s rays fall vertical over ‘Tropic of Cancer, the temperature begins to rise’. The average temperature is above 30°C; the maximum temperature rises to 50°C in Barmer (Rajasthan). The daily range of temperature rises in inland areas. Intense heat results in the development of low pressure over N.W. India and Pakistan. A high pressure exists over Indian Ocean. S.W. Monsoons “begin to blow from sea to land. ‘Norwesters’ and ‘Loo’ blow over Northern plains. Some areas receive convectional rainfall. The west coast also starts receiving rainfall. Most of the country is dry in the pre-Monsoon period.

1. Range of Temperature. There is a great variation in range of temperatures in different parts of India. Kerala and Andaman-Nicobar islands have a daily range of temperature i. e. 8° C. On the other hand in Thar Desert, if the day temperature is around 50° C, at night it may drop down very close to freezing point (0°C). The daily range of temperature is 50°C.

2. Direction of Rain Bearing Winds. Most of India gets rain in summer from S. W. Monsoons but, in winter Tamilnadu gets rain from N. E. Monsoons.

3. Form of Precipitation. Most of the country gets rain showers, while snowfall occurs in the Himalayas.

4. Amount of Rainfall. The annual rainfall is less than 10 cms in N. W. Himalayas and the Thar Desert, it exceeds 400 cms. in Meghalaya. Mawsynram gets 1,141 cms Rainfall.

5. Rainfall Regime i.e. Seasonal Distribution of Rainfall. There is a great variation in rainfall regimes in the country. Most of the country gets rain from advancing monsoons in summer. Tamilnadu gets rainfall in winter from N.E. monsoons. Some parts receive rainfall from retreating monsoons.

C. Lakshadweep Islands.

The elements of weather and climate are the same, i.e temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity and precipitation.

(i) The differential heating and cooling of land and water creates low pressure on the landmass of India while the seas around experience comparatively high pressure. 

(ii) The shift of the position of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in summer, over the Ganga plain (this is the equatorial trough normally positioned about 5°N of the equator – also known as the monsoon trough during the monsoon season). 

(iii) The presence of the high-pressure area,east of Madagascar, approximately at 20°S over the Indian Ocean. The intensity and position of this high-pressure area affects the Indian Monsoon. 

(iv)The Tibetan plateau gets intensely heated during summer, which results in strong vertical air currents and the formation of low pressure over the plateau at about 9 km above sea level. 

(v) The movement of the westerly jet stream to the north of the Himalayas and the presence of the tropical easterly jet stream over the Indian peninsula during summer. 

Normally when the tropical eastern South Pacific Ocean experiences high pressure, the tropical eastern Indian Ocean experiences low pressure. But in certain years, there is a reversal in the pressure conditions and the eastern Pacific has lower pressure in comparison to the eastern Indian Ocean. This periodic change in pressure conditions is known as the Southern Oscillation. 

The Bay of Bengal branch of the monsoon winds moves towards northeast and return westwards covering the northern plains. While they move towards west, their moisture contains tends to reduce with subsequent rains. Hence the rainfall decreases from east to west in northern India.

The destructive cyclones are called Kal Baisakhi in West Bengal.

Dust storms are very common during the month of May in northern India. These storms bring temporary relief as they lower the temperature and may bring light rain and cool breeze. This is also the season for localised thunderstorms, associated with violent winds, torrential downpours, often accompanied by hail. In West Bengal, these storms are known as the ‘Kaal Baisakhi’ calamity for the month of Baisakh.

Answer :(a) Cyclonic depression

Khasi Hills located in Mawsynram.

Western disturbances

(b) Isohyets.

The answer is (B) Western Ghats

(C) western disturbances 

The answer is (A) West Bengal

Loo is a local wind. It is very hot and dry wind which blows during the day time in Northern India.

Strong, Dusty, hot, dry winds blowing during the day over the north and western India.

Correct option: (d) North-East and South-East trade winds

Northwestern part of India experiences the highest diurnal range of temperature. This happens because of the presence of the Thar Desert and also because this region does not have the moderating influence of the ocean.