The southwest monsoon season is considered the most critical and significant season of the year to the people of India. This is because it brings relief from the scorching heat of the hot summer.
Increase of temperature in May over the northwestern plains, the low pressure conditions over there get further intensified.
By early June, they are powerful enough to attract the trade winds of Southern Hemisphere coming from the Indian Ocean. These southeast trade winds cross the equator and enter the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea,
Passing over the equatorial warm currents, they bring with them moisture in abundance. After crossing the equator, they follow a southwesterly direction. That is why they are known as southwest monsoons. The monsoon approaches the landmass in two branches:
- The Arabian Sea branch
- The Bay of Bengal branch.