Climate of Uttar Pradesh facts for kids
The climate of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) is the weather pattern found in this large Indian state. Most of U.P. has a humid subtropical climate with dry winters. This means it's generally warm and wet, but winters are dry. Some western parts of U.P. have a semi-arid climate, which is much drier.
Even though there are small differences, the huge Indo-Gangetic Plain makes the weather quite similar across the state. Temperatures can change a lot during the year. They can go from around 0 °C (freezing) to as high as 50 °C in some places! During the rainy season, heavy downpours often cause floods. Summers are very hot, winters are cold, and the rainy season can be either very wet or quite dry.
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What Are the Seasons in Uttar Pradesh?
India's weather department divides the year into different seasons. These seasons are very important for people and farming in India, especially because of the monsoons.
- Winter Season: This is from January to February. It's the coldest time of the year.
- Summer Season: This runs from March to May. It's also called the pre-monsoon or hot weather season.
- South-west Monsoon: This is the main rainy season, from June to September.
- Post-Monsoon Season: This is from October to December. It's when the monsoon rains start to leave.
How Is Uttar Pradesh's Climate Classified?
The climate of Uttar Pradesh is often called a tropical monsoon climate. However, using a system called the Köppen climate classification, most of U.P. is seen as Humid Subtropical with dry winter (CWa). Some parts of Western Uttar Pradesh are considered semi-arid.
Based on the Indian weather department's way of looking at it, U.P. has three main seasons:
- Winter Season: From November to February.
- Summer Season: From March to May.
- South-west Monsoon: From June to October.
The post-monsoon season doesn't affect Uttar Pradesh much. Sometimes there are light showers in winter. These are often from "western disturbances," which are weather systems coming from the west.
Here's a quick look at the main features of U.P.'s three distinct seasons:
- Summer (March–June): It's hot and dry. Temperatures can reach 45 °C, sometimes even 47–48 °C. The air is very dry, and dusty winds blow.
- Monsoon (June–September): This season brings most of India's yearly rain. About 85% of U.P.'s average yearly rainfall (990 mm) comes during this time. Temperatures drop to 30–45°C on rainy days.
- Winter (October–February): It's cold and dry. Temperatures can fall to 3–4 °C, sometimes even below freezing. Fog is common in winter.
Because the weather can be quite different across the state, Uttar Pradesh is divided into two weather zones: U.P. East and U.P. West.
Where Is Uttar Pradesh Located?
Uttar Pradesh is right in the middle of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The important Ganges River also flows through the state.
Temperatures in Uttar Pradesh
Temperatures in U.P. can range from 0 °C to 46 °C. In some areas, like Gonda district, temperatures have even reached close to 50 °C. These big changes in temperature can cause either very hot heat waves or very cold cold waves. Both can be dangerous and affect people's lives and the economy.
Heat Waves
Heat waves are periods of extremely hot weather. In 2007, the Banda district had daily temperatures near 45.5 °C for many days. Sadly, at least 62 people died during that heat wave. In June 2009, another 30 people died during a heat wave. Temperatures reached 49 °C in the Bundelkhand area. In June 2010, Jhansi recorded 46.7 °C, which was the hottest for U.P. that year.
Cold Waves
Cold waves are periods of very cold weather. In the winters of late 2007 and early 2008, many people died due to the cold in U.P. Temperatures dropped to 2.8 °C in Meerut city. This cold weather also damaged crops. In 2009, Meerut again saw temperatures drop to 2.9 °C, causing more deaths. In late 2010 and early 2011, another cold winter caused deaths. Churk town in Sonabhadra district recorded the lowest temperature at 1.4 °C. On January 13, 2013, Kanpur had its coldest day ever when the temperature dropped to −1.1 °C. In Agra, it reached −0.7 °C.
Rain and Other Precipitation
Uttar Pradesh generally has a similar rain pattern across the state. Snowfall does not happen, but hailstorms are common. The rain U.P. gets can be caused by mountains (orographic), storms (cyclonic), or rising warm air (convectional).
Rain
Most of the rain in Uttar Pradesh comes from the Bay of Bengal branch of the Indian Monsoon. This happens mainly in summer. The state is mostly affected by the southwest monsoon. Western disturbances and the North-East Monsoon also bring small amounts of rain.
The amount of rain can vary a lot. Hilly areas might get an average of 1,700 mm of rain each year. Other parts of U.P. might only get 840 mm. Because of the monsoon rains, too much rain can cause floods, and too little can cause droughts. Both floods and droughts are common in the state.
Floods in U.P.
Floods are a known danger in U.P. This happens when major rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Ramganga, Gomti, Sharda, Ghaghra, Rapti, and Gandak overflow. The estimated yearly losses from floods in U.P. can reach ₹4.32 billion (US$73 million). Many efforts have been made to manage floods and reduce the risk. Most floods happen because of heavy Monsoon rains and rivers overflowing during the wet season. The year 2010 saw a lot of flooding in U.P.
Droughts in Uttar Pradesh
Not enough rain during the monsoon season can cause droughts in U.P. This can lead to deaths and damage to property. For example, in 2002 and 2004, droughts caused financial losses of ₹75.4 billion (US$1.3 billion) and ₹72.92 billion (US$1.2 billion) respectively. In Eastern U.P., a big lack of rain tends to happen every 6–8 years. In Western U.P., it happens about every 10 years.
Winds in Uttar Pradesh
In summer, hot winds called loo blow across U.P. These winds carry dust and can cause a lot of damage. In winter, dry winds blow across the state, and they don't bring rain. Fog can also form in some parts of U.P.
Related pages
- Geography of Uttar Pradesh
- Uttar Pradesh
- Climate
