Indian Agricultural: Growth, Generation, Policy & Problem Indian Agricultural | Page 51

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Pradesh which is towards the south-western side of the Gangetic Plain similar conditions prevail albeit
with much less humidity levels. Capital Bhopal averages low of 9 °C (48 °F) and high of 24 °C (75 °F).
Frigid winds from the Himalayas can depress temperatures near the Brahmaputra River. The
Himalayas have a profound effect on the climate of the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan plateau
by preventing frigid and dry Arctic winds from blowing south into the subcontinent, which keeps South
Asia much warmer than corresponding temperate regions in the other continents. It also forms a
barrier for the monsoon winds, keeping them from travelling northwards, and causing heavy rainfall in
the Terai region instead. The Himalayas are indeed believed to play an important role in the formation
of Central Asian deserts such as the Taklamakan and Gobi. The mountain ranges prevent western
winter disturbances in Iran from travelling further east, resulting in much snow in Kashmir and rainfall
for parts of Punjab and northern India. Despite the Himalayas being a barrier to the cold northerly
winter winds, the Brahmaputra valley receives part of the frigid winds, thus lowering the temperature
in Northeast India and Bangladesh. The Himalayas, which are often called "The Roof of the World",
contain the greatest area of glaciers and permafrost outside of the poles. Ten of Asia's largest rivers
flow from there. The two Himalayan states in the east, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, receive
substantial snowfall. The extreme north of West Bengal cantered on Darjeeling experiences snowfall,
but only rarely.
In South India, particularly the hinterlands of Maharashtra, parts of Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh,
somewhat cooler weather prevails. Minimum temperatures in western Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh
hover around 10 °C (50 °F); in the southern Deccan Plateau, they reach 16 °C (61 °F). Coastal
areas—especially those near the Coromandel Coast and adjacent low-elevation interior tracts—are
warm, with daily high temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F) and lows of around 21 °C (70 °F). The Western
Ghats, including the Nilgiri Range, are exceptional; lows there can fall below freezing. This compares
with a range of 12–14 °C (54–57 °F) on the Malabar Coast; there, as is the case for other coastal
areas, the Indian Ocean exerts a strong moderating influence on weather. The region averages 800
millimetres (31 in) per year, most of which falls between October and December. The topography of
the Bay of Bengal and the staggered weather pattern prevalent during the season favours the
northeast monsoon, which has a tendency to cause cyclones and hurricanes rather than steady
precipitation. As a result, the coast is hit by what can mildly be termed as inclement weather almost
every year between October and January.
Summer
Summer in northwestern India starts from April and ends in July, and in the rest of the country from
March to May. The temperatures in the north rise as the vertical rays of the Sun reach the Tropic of
Cancer. The hottest month for the western and southern regions of the country is April; for most of
North India, it is May. Temperatures of 50 °C (122 °F) and higher have been recorded in parts of India
during this season. Another striking feature of summer is the Loo (wind). These are strong, gusty, hot,
Ramesh Kumar P