Editing Climate of India (section)

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[[File:Valley of flowers uttaranchal full view.JPG|thumb|right|A scene in [[Uttarakhand]]'s [[Valley of Flowers National Park]]. In contrast to the rain shadow region of Tirunelveli, the park receives ample [[orographic lift|orographic precipitation]] due to its location in a mountainous [[windward and leeward|windward]]-facing region wedged between the [[Zanskar Range|Zanskars]] and the [[Great Himalayas|Greater Himalayas]].]]
[[File:India-view of shilla.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Daytime view of a chain of snow-capped mountains. They advance diagonally thumb from the far-middle distance at left to the nudge distance at right. In the foreground are high montaine meadows and brushband.|The formation of the Himalayas (pictured) during the [[Ypresian|Early Eocene]] some 52&nbsp;mya was a key factor in determining India's modern-day climate; global climate and [[ocean chemistry]] may have been affected.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|author=Rowley DB |year=1996 |url=http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~avouac/GE277/Rowley96.pdf |title=Age of initiaotion of collision between India and Asia: A review of stratigraphic data |journal=Earth and Planetary Science Letters |volume=145 |issue=1 |pages=1–13 |access-date=2007-03-31 |doi=10.1016/s0012-821x(96)00201-4 |bibcode=1996E&PSL.145....1R |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061228205836/http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~avouac/GE277/Rowley96.pdf |archive-date=28 December 2006  }}</ref>]]
The '''climate of India''' consists of a wide range of weather conditions across a vast geographic scale and varied topography. Based on the [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen system]], [[India]] encompasses a diverse array of climatic subtypes. These range from arid and semi-arid regions in the west to highland, sub-arctic, tundra, and ice cap climates in the northern [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] regions, varying with elevation. 

The northern lowlands experience [[subtropical]] conditions which become more [[Temperate climate|temperate]] at higher altitudes, like the [[Sivalik Hills]], or [[continental climates|continental]] in some areas like [[Gulmarg]]. In contrast, much of the south and the east exhibit [[tropical climate]] conditions, which support lush rainforests in parts of these territories. Many regions have starkly different [[microclimate|microclimates]], making it one of the most climatically diverse countries in the world. The country's meteorological department follows four seasons with some local adjustments: winter (December to February), summer (March to May), monsoon or south-west monsoon (June to September) and post-monsoon or north-east monsoon (October to November). Some parts of the country with subtropical, temperate or continental climates also experience spring and autumn.

India's [[geography of India|geography]] and [[geology of India|geology]] are climatically pivotal: the [[Thar Desert]] in the northwest and the [[Himalayas]] in the north work in tandem to create a [[culture of India|culturally]] and [[economy of India|economically]] important monsoonal regime. As Earth's highest and most massive mountain range, the Himalayas bar the influx of frigid [[katabatic wind]]s from the icy [[Tibetan Plateau]] and northerly Central Asia. Most of [[North India]] is thus kept warm or is only mildly chilly or cold during winter; the same thermal dam keeps most regions in India hot in summer. The climate in [[South India]] is generally warmer, and more humid due to its coastlines. However some hill stations in South India such as [[Ooty]] are well known for their cold climate. 

Though the [[Tropic of Cancer]]—the boundary that is between the tropics and subtropics—passes through the middle of India, the bulk of the country can be regarded as climatically tropical. As in much of the tropics, monsoonal and other weather patterns in India can be strongly variable: epochal droughts, heat waves, floods, cyclones, and other natural disasters are sporadic, but have displaced or ended millions of human lives. Such climatic events are likely to [[climate change in South Asia|change in frequency and severity]] as a consequence of human-induced [[climate change]]. Ongoing and future vegetative changes, [[sea level rise]] and inundation of India's low-lying coastal areas are also attributed to global warming.{{Sfn|Ravindranath|Bala|Sharma|2011}}