Kerala Climate
The climate of Kerala can be classified into roughly three categories from March to May, when it is hot and humid, with March being the warmest month. This season is followed by the onset of the southwest monsoons that last till the end of October.
The northeast monsoons take over the relay around this time and linger on till the month of February. The intensity of the northeast monsoons is more or less on the wane around December, leaving behind a spell of cool and comparatively dry weather.
In summers, most of Kerala is prone to gale force winds, storm surges, cyclone-related torrential downpours, occasional droughts, and rises in sea level and storm activity resulting from global warming. Kerala's maximum daily temperature averages 36.7 °C; the minimum is 19.8 °C.Mean annual temperatures range from 25.0 - 27.5 °C in the coastal lowlands to 20.0 - 22.5 °C in the highlands.
|
| The year is divided into three seasons. From February end to May it is hot. The south-west monsoon begins in June and continues till the full moon in October or November. In this season, there is fairly good rainfall without intermission. It is followed by fair weather during December - January. Some times in March or April there may be thunder storms with rains, but this may not last long. Then the weather become very sultry. In the mountain ranges, there is heavy fog from April. Kerala has a moderate and balanced climate throughout the year. |
Monsoon Season
In Kerala, when it rains, it pours! The state receives two monsoons in a year. The total annual rainfall in Kerala ranges from approximately 180cm in the southern parts to 380cm in the extreme northern parts. The Western Ghats draw more than 3,000mm of rain, annually. Kozhikode District receives the maximum rainfall in the state, while Thiruvananthapuram receives the minimum. During the monsoons, the azure Kerala skies of December give way to thick inky clouds and spectacular son-et-lumière operas of thunder and lightening.
Humidity
Humidity goes up to an average of 85% during the monsoons. The rains are fundamental to Kerala's bountiful life forms, and turn the land into a botanist's delight. Scores of tiny insects scurry about the place, fresh little saplings pop out of every imaginable nook and cranny, and the replenished rivers and rivulets gurgle and dash forward with a crisp, newfound enthusiasm.
The boundary walls around homes and places get ready for their yearly slumber, and hibernate beneath the soft, spongy blankets of ivy, moss and algae. Even your jeans get fungus if left undisturbed for a couple of days! If you are in Kerala during the monsoons, be careful not to fall into long spells of lethargy, or else.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia and numerous other sources that provide freedom to copy and redistribute content, with or without modifying it, either commercially or noncommercially. |
Raja Ravi Varma is most remembered for his paintings of beautiful sari clad women, who were portrayed as very shapely and graceful. His exposure in the west came when he won the first prize in Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873. After a successful career as a painter, Raja Ravi Varma died in (1906) at the age of 58. He is generally considered as one among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art.