Seasons of India
Also called: Four seasons of IMD · Topic: Climate of India and the Monsoon · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 3 "Atmosphere and Climate"; Class 11, Ch 4 "Climate"
Meaning
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) divides India's year into four seasons, based on the monsoon cycle. In Class 11 they are:
- cold weather season: December-February
- hot weather season: March-May
- southwest monsoon season: June-September
- retreating monsoon season: October-November
Class 9 gives slightly different ranges. Its cold season runs to early April, its hot season is April-June (to July in the northwest), and its retreating season is October-December. Both books agree on June-September for the southwest monsoon. The four seasons show how pressure, winds and rain change through the year.
Example
Chennai on the Tamil Nadu coast follows this cycle differently from most of India. It is fairly dry in the southwest monsoon season and gets its wettest months, October and November, in the retreating monsoon season.
Don't confuse with
- Traditional Indian seasons: these are six two-month seasons (Vasanta to Shishira) from the Indian calendar. The IMD uses four weather-based seasons.