Monsoon Winds of Bay of Bengal

During the monsoon season, the Bay of Bengal branch of the southwest monsoon typically brings heavy rainfall to Myanmar and parts of southeast Bangladesh. However, the presence of the Arakan Hills along the coast of Myanmar redirects a significant portion of this monsoon branch towards the Indian subcontinent. Consequently, instead of approaching West Bengal and Bangladesh from the usual southwesterly direction, the monsoon enters these regions from the south and southeast.

As the monsoon branch encounters the Indian subcontinent, it bifurcates under the influence of geographical features such as the Himalayas and the thermal low over northwest India. One branch moves westward along the fertile plains of the Ganga, reaching as far as the Punjab plains in northwest India. The other branch moves up the Brahmaputra valley towards the north and northeast, bringing widespread rainfall to these regions. Additionally, a sub-branch of this monsoon branch strikes the Garo and Khasi hills of Meghalaya in northeast India. Mawsynram, located on the crest of the Khasi hills, receives the highest average annual rainfall in the world due to this phenomenon.

Conversely, the Tamil Nadu coast experiences relatively dry conditions during the monsoon season for two primary reasons. Firstly, the coast of Tamil Nadu runs parallel to the Bay of Bengal branch of the southwest monsoon, which means it does not receive direct moisture-laden winds from this monsoon branch. Secondly, the Tamil Nadu coast lies in the rainshadow area of the Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon. This means that as the monsoon winds from the Arabian Sea ascend over the Western Ghats, they release moisture on the windward side, leaving the leeward side, which includes the Tamil Nadu coast, relatively dry.

Monsoon winds are cool winds that blow from the sea’s surface to the land, carrying downpours with them. The rainstorm winds affect the environment of India. Southwest’s Bay of Bengal Branch monsoon streams over the Bay of Bengal, conveying extra moisture from the Bay of Bengal to northeast India and Bengal. The breezes carry a great amount of downpour towards the Eastern Himalayas.

This article will help you to understand the rainstorm winds of the Bay of Bengal, which will be useful in preparation for the UPSC Civil Service exam.