Monday 17 November 2014

Topography and Climate of Chandigarh

Topography and Climate

Chandigarh is located in the foothills of the Shivalik hill ranges in the north, which form a part of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. It is occupied by Kandi (Bhabar) in the north east and Sirowal (Terai) and alluvial plains in the remaining part. The subsurface formation comprises of beds of boulders, pebbles, gravel, sand, silt, clays and some kankar. The area is drained by two seasonal rivulets viz. Sukhna Choe in the east and Patiala ki Rao Choe in the west. The central part forms a surface water divide and has two minor streams. The stream passing through the central part is called the N-Choe and the other is the Choe Nala which initiates at Sector 29.

Most of Chandigarh is a plain area with a few lower shivalik hills in the north.

Sukhna Lake, located in the northeast of the city is an important water body of the city.

The various choes that flow through the city play a very important role in water management in the city. They act as sponges which collect rain water and allow it to percolate and recharge the groundwater.




Chandigarh falls under Koppen's CWG category i.e. it has cold dry winter, hot summer and sub-tropical monsoon. Evaporation usually exceeds precipitation and the weather is generally dry. The area experiences four seasons:

  1. Summer or hot season (mid-March to Mid-June): The dry spell of summer is long but with occasional drizzles or thunder storms. May and June are the hottest months of the year with the mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures being about 37oC and 25oC respectively. Maximum temperatures can rise up to 44oC.
  2. Rainy season (late-June to mid-September): Southwest monsoons with high intensity showers commence in late June. The weather at this time is hot and humid. The variation of annual rainfall on year to year basis is appreciable i.e. 700 mm to 1200 mm. The 20-year average rainfall for Chandigarh is 1100.7 mm.
  3. Post-monsoon autumn/transition season (mid-September to mid-November): 
  4. Winter (mid-November to mid-March): January is the coldest month with mean maximum and minimum temperatures being around 23oC and 3.6oC respectively. Winds are generally light and blow from northwest to southeast direction with exception of easterly to southeasterly winds that blow on some days during the summer season.

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