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Monsoons are traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea. Usually, the term monsoon is used to refer to the rainy phase of a seasonally changing pattern, although technically there is also a dry phase.
Monsoons are large-scale sea breezes, which occur when the temperature on land is significantly warmer or cooler than the temperature of the ocean. These temperature imbalances happen because oceans and land absorb heat in different ways.
Indian summer monsoon – affects all of India. In the summer, the wind blows north from the Indian Ocean south of the Indian subcontinent and dumps heavy rain on the area from roughly April to October.
Asian-Australian monsoon – affects southeastern Asia, the Australasian islands, and northern Australia. This monsoon happens from December to March because these areas are located slightly east of the opposite end of the Indian summer monsoon circulation. Since these areas are south of the equator, December through March is their summer, making this a summer monsoon, too.
North American Monsoon – affects the southwestern United States. It is also a summer monsoon. This doesn’t really have a seasonally reversing wind pattern, but heavy rain and storms occur more frequently from July to September over the desert Southwest. This monsoon is fueled by both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.
West African Monsoon – affects western Africa. It is fueled by the Atlantic Ocean to its south and produces clusters of storms that can become Atlantic hurricanes from June to September.
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