Menu Close

Articles on Monsoon

Displaying 1 - 20 of 25 articles

Stalagmites grow from the cave floor up as water drips down. Gayatri Kathayat

1,000-year-old stalagmites from a cave in India show the monsoon isn’t so reliable – their rings reveal a history of long, deadly droughts

As water dripped in a remote cave, it left behind evidence of every monsoon season for a millennium. Scientists say it holds a warning for a country about to become the most populous on Earth.
Lightning during a monsoon storm in southern Arizona, Saguaro National Park. Pete Gregoire, NOAA

Monsoons make deserts bloom in the US Southwest, but climate change is making these summer rainfalls more extreme and erratic

Monsoons are weather patterns that bring thunderstorms and heavy rains to hot, dry areas when warm, moist ocean air moves inland. They’re challenging to forecast, especially in a changing climate.
Parts of Lake Elsinore, California, were overrun with muddy floodwater after a storm hit the Holy Fire burn scar in 2018. Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Digital First Media/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images

Wildfire burn scars can intensify and even create thunderstorms that lead to catastrophic flooding – here’s how it works

An atmospheric scientist and sailplane pilot describes why large areas of burned land can produce clouds and rainstorms.
Residents of Pandanad sit in a bus stop surrounded by flood waters, in Kerala, India. Manjunath Kiran/AFP

Kerala’s monsoon: lessons from recent floods in India

Uncontrolled growth at the expense of the environment will severely exacerbate the impacts of climate change. As shown with tragic floods in India, our cities are not prepared for extreme events.
In Darwin the wet season usually arrives around Christmas Day. Storm image from www.shutterstock.com

Explainer: what is the Australian monsoon?

The Australian monsoon delivers most of northern Australia’s rainfall and is a vital feature of life in the region. But why does it occur?

Top contributors

More