Question

Why does The konkan coast experiences orographic rainfall

Answer 1

Enhanced observational information on the spatial distribution of rainfall, at a finer resolution, is vital for evaluation of mesoscale models. The present study examines the daily rainfall data from a high-density mesoscale rain gauge network consisting of 25 stations within a hundred sq. km. area, during the south west monsoon season (June–September) for the period 1996– 2000. The rainfalls reported are from lake catchments along the Western Ghats, falling in the district of Raigad and other urban locations in and around Mumbai. Us- ing this data-set, an attempt has been made to examine the spatial distribution of heavy rainfall events. Poor correlations between stations indicate that they cannot be pooled together during spatial averaging for repre- senting rainfall over the area. Heavy rainfall events contributed largest rainfall amounts at the foothills of the ghats and the least for sites on the Western ghats at higher altitudes. The results suggest that different controls modulate the synoptic situations to produce a spectrum of spatial and temporal precipitation vari- ability on local scales, which would require further ob- servational and modeling efforts to understand and predict.

Answer 2

Answer:

The Konkan Coast experiences orographic rainfall because the monsoon winds which blow over the Arabian Sea strike the western side of the Western Ghats resulting in heavy rainfall. By the time these winds reach the Eastern Ghats, they are already dry as they have already shed their moisture.