Daily Archives: July 22, 2013

A monsoon is a seasonal reversal in wind patterns over a region. The word “monsoon” comes from the Arabic word mausim, meaning “season.” The seasonal wind shift is usually accompanied by a dramatic change in precipitation.

The best known example of a monsoon occurs over the Indian subcontinent. In summer, the sun warms the land and the air above it. With cooler air lying over the oceans that surround the subcontinent, a horizontal pressure gradient is established that generates winds directed from the ocean to land. Continue reading →