Mention any three characteristics of the 'Monsoon'. ?
Characteristics of Monsoon:
1. Monsoons are a global phenomenon, especially in the tropical regions of Earth.
2. Monsoons are the heavy rains during the rainy season , usually from June to September. They occasionally extend to October. So its duration is 3 to 4 months in each year. Monsoons occur around the same period every year.
3. There are large scale sea or ocean breezes during the monsoons.
4. They are due to big temperature and pressure differences between the land and the sea nearby. Usually the land is hot and the sea is cooler. So the air on top of them travels with great speed and carries a lot of precipitation.
5. For India, there are SouthWest Monsoons and NorthEast Monsoons. The first comes from the Arabian Sea and the latter comes from the Bay of Bengal.
6. The amount of rainfall (precipitation) and intensity of rains are not the same each year. They depend on the global temperatures, wind pressures, pollution and Earth's rotational effects.
7. They are not predictable completely yet. The prediction can be done only for some 24 or 48 hours.
8. The monsoons arrive usually after the summer season.
9. There are many gaps between rainfalls during the monsoon season.
10. Some monsoons result in cyclones. Occasionally thunderstorms and lightnings are observed. In some places occasionally hailstorms are observed.