Climate of Uttar Pradesh

The climate of the state is tropical monsoon, but variations exist because of difference in altitudes. The Himalayan region is cold. The average temperature varies in the plains from 3-4oC in January to 43-45oC in May and June.

There are three distinct seasons - the cold season from October to February, Summer from March to Mid June and the rainy season from March to September. The Himalayan region has about 100-200cm of rain fall. The rain fall in the plains is heaviest in the east and decreases to wards the north-east.

Floods are a recurring problem of the state, causing damage to crops, life and property. There are occasional cloud-bursts adding to the misery of the people. The worst floods were in 1971, when 51 of the 54 districts of the state were affected and the area involved was nearly 52 lakh hectares. The eastern districts are the most vulnerable to floods, the western districts slightly less and the central region markedly less.

The eastern districts proneness to floods is ascribed, among other things, to heavy rainfall, low flat country, high subsoil water level and the silting of beds which causes river levels to rise. The problem in the western districts is mainly poor drainage caused by the obstruction of roads, railways, canals, new built-up areas etc.

There is water logging in the large areas. The major flood-prone rivers are the Ganga, Jamuna ,Gomati ,Ghaghra ,Rapti, Sarda and Ramganga. The inadequate drainage capacity of the smaller western Sirsa, Kali and the Aligarh drain is also a cause of floods.