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. |
