Climate
The mechanism of the monsoon
Explain the onset and breaks of the monsoon.
Heating of the land in April-May creates a low in the north-west; south-east trades cross the equator (40°-60° E) and turn south-west.
The ITCZ moves north to about 20°-25° N in July: the monsoon trough.
The westerly jet withdraws and the easterly jet sets in along 15° N: the monsoon bursts.
Onset: Kerala by 1 June, Mumbai and Kolkata by 10-13 June, all India by mid-July.
Breaks: few storms on the trough (north) or winds parallel to the coast (west); El Nino can weaken or delay it.
Hot land pulls, jet streams switch, the monsoon bursts.
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