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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Brendan Wood for MetDesk

Weather tracker: Monsoon season brings vital rainfall to parts of Asia

A person in a red and yellow sari sits under an umbrella selling leafy greens at a street market
A vendor sells vegetables while holding an umbrella during monsoon rainfall in Kolkata, India, on Sunday. Photograph: Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

The monsoon season has officially begun in parts of Asia, marking the start of a period of enhanced rainfall vital to the region’s economy.

The south-west monsoon begins each year as a consequence of a growing temperature difference between the Asian land mass and the Indian Ocean. Through spring, the land heats up more rapidly than the surrounding sea, creating a pressure difference that draws moisture-laden ocean air inland. Once this contrast reaches a critical point, the humid air pushed over the continent rises, condenses into cloud and unleashes intense rainfall across the region.

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