Friday, March 29, 2024
Maharashtra

Land


Climate

The climate of Maharashtra is typically monsoonal in character, with 'hot' rainy and cold weather seasons. The months of March-April and May are maximum heat. During this season, especially in April and May thunderstorms are a common feature all over the state.

The first week of June is the time for the onset of the south-west monsoon. Rains spread out  from the south western and western sides all over Maharashtra. July is the wettest month and August is substantially rainy, by September  the south west monsoonal current weakens. October marks the transition from the rainy season to winter. The general drying up of the land and greater sunshine, accompanied by high humidity, produce familiar phenomenon of 'October heat'. From November to February there is a cool dry spell, with clear skies gentle breezes and pleasant weather, though the eastern margins of Maharashtra receive some rainfall.

In the general March of seasons in Maharashtra, the dominant natural factor that affects basically the life and economy of the peoples is the rainfall in its regime amount and variability. In regime quite major part of the rain is received during the four months from June to September. This concentration is particular to the Konkan and Sahyadrian Maharashtra. In central Maharashtra, though the total precipitations is much lower, there is a wider spread over the months of June to October with a noticeable maximum in September. From Maharashtra, the total rainfall steadily increases towards the east under the influence of the Bay of Bengal monsoon and hence eastern Vidarbha receives its major rains in the month of July August and September. The heaviest rainfall in Maharashtra occurs in the main Sahyadris. Different regions have different rainfalls. These regional difference in the total annual rainfall help in distinguishing three zones of Maharashtra; the wet, the intermediate and semiarid zones. The variability of monsoonal rains is common all over Maharashtra. This unpredictable monsoonal rains affect the agriculture and this will impact economic distress and human suffering. The rainfall in Maharashtra is not fully utilised. A major portion goes waste to the sea in torrents during rainy season. While in the summer months many of these areas suffer acute shortage even of drinking water.

Temperature variations in Maharashtra are not of that consequence as those in rainfall. Tropical conditions are common all over and even the hill stations are not that cold. But lower winter temperature on the plateau do help the growth of some important crops like wheat, gram, linseed and grapes. High summer temperatures induce local thunder showers. Dew, frost, hail and other local weather phenomena are not absent from the climate.