Monsoon Basics

Indian monsoon — basics

Big picture

• Seasonal reversal of winds driven by differential heating of land and sea
• Southwest monsoon (Jun–Sep) brings the bulk of annual rainfall for most of India
• Retreat / NE monsoon matters for parts of the peninsula (esp. Tamil Nadu coast)

Factors often asked

• ITCZ shift
• Tibetan heating / differential pressure
• Jet streams (subtropical westerly / easterly tropical) — keep conceptual, not over-detailed
• El Niño / La Niña teleconnections (direction of association, not every exception)

PYQ focus

• Onset/withdrawal chronology
• El Niño years ↔ weaker monsoon association
• Local winds / breaks in monsoon

Summary

Mechanism + distribution + ENSO link = Prelims geography hook. Pair with climate current affairs.