[edit]
Sohra, India
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
11
 
 
16
7
 
 
46
 
 
17
9
 
 
240
 
 
21
13
 
 
938
 
 
22
15
 
 
1214
 
 
22
16
 
 
2294
 
 
23
18
 
 
3272
 
 
22
18
 
 
1760
 
 
23
18
 
 
1352
 
 
23
18
 
 
549
 
 
23
16
 
 
72
 
 
20
12
 
 
29
 
 
17
8
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mmSource: NOAA
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
0.4
 
 
60
45
 
 
1.8
 
 
63
48
 
 
9.4
 
 
69
55
 
 
37
 
 
71
58
 
 
48
 
 
72
61
 
 
90
 
 
73
64
 
 
129
 
 
72
65
 
 
69
 
 
73
65
 
 
53
 
 
73
64
 
 
22
 
 
73
60
 
 
2.8
 
 
69
54
 
 
1.1
 
 
63
47
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches
The Shillong Plateau is an uplifted horst-like feature, bounded by the E-W Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) to the North, the N–S Jamuna fault in the west, and the NW–SE kopilli fracture zone in the east.
Sohra has an average elevation of 1,430 metres (4,690 ft) and sits on a plateau in the southern part of the Khasi Hills, facing the plains of Bangladesh. The plateau rises 660 metres (2,170 ft) above the surrounding valleys.
Soils on the plateau are poor owing to deforestation and washout caused by heavy rainfall. Owing to winter droughts, the vegetation in this location is even xerophytic in spite of the town's fame as an extremely wet place. Additional pressure on local ecosystems is created by the rapid increase of the population – from a Sohra-area population of 7,000 in 1960, it grew to over 10,000 by 2000.
The valleys around Sohra, however, are covered with lush and very diverse vegetation, containing numerous endemic species of plants, including the Meghalaya subtropical forests.
There are some interesting living root bridges in villages near Sohra like the Umshiang Root Bridge, Mawsaw root bridge, Ritymmen root bridge, and the Double Decker root bridge at Nongriat village.
Climate[edit]
Cherrapunji has a mild subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), with monsoonal influences typical of India. Although Sohra has very wet, warm summers, it has dry, mild winters. The city's annual rainfall average stands at 11,777 millimetres (463.7 in). This figure places it behind only nearby Mawsynram, Meghalaya, whose average is 11,873 millimetres (467.4 in). Sohra receives both the southwest and northeast monsoonal winds, giving it a single monsoon season. It lies on the windward side of the Khasi Hills, so the resulting orographic lift enhances precipitation. In the winter months it receives the northeast monsoon showers that travel down the Brahmaputra valley. The driest months are November, December, January, and February.
Temperatures average 11.5 °C (52.7 °F) in January and 20.6 °C (69.1 °F) in August, and the annual mean is 17.3 °C (63.1 °F)
Sohra holds two Guinness world records for receiving the maximum amount of rainfall in a single year: 26,471 millimetres (1,042.2 in) of rainfall between August 1860 and July 1861 and for receiving the maximum amount of rainfall in a single month: 9,300 millimetres (370 in) in July 1861.
Climate data for Cherrapunji (1991–2020, extremes 1902–present)
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
26.7(80.1)
28.9(84.0)
30.6(87.1)
28.3(82.9)
30.9(87.6)
29.9(85.8)
30.3(86.5)
30.3(86.5)
33.1(91.6)
32.1(89.8)
28.7(83.7)
25.6(78.1)
33.1(91.6)
Mean maximum °C (°F)
20.6(69.1)
22.2(72.0)
25.3(77.5)
26.0(78.8)
26.5(79.7)
26.8(80.2)
26.9(80.4)
27.6(81.7)
27.9(82.2)
27.5(81.5)
25.6(78.1)
21.9(71.4)
28.9(84.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
17.2(63.0)
18.8(65.8)
21.4(70.5)
22.7(72.9)
23.1(73.6)
23.1(73.6)
22.9(73.2)
23.6(74.5)
23.9(75.0)
24.0(75.2)
21.8(71.2)
18.8(65.8)
21.8(71.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)
12.3(54.1)
14.1(57.4)
17.0(62.6)
18.7(65.7)
19.9(67.8)
20.6(69.1)
20.6(69.1)
21.1(70.0)
21.0(69.8)
20.0(68.0)
16.9(62.4)
13.8(56.8)
18.0(64.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
6.6(43.9)
8.7(47.7)
12.1(53.8)
14.4(57.9)
16.1(61.0)
17.7(63.9)
18.1(64.6)
18.2(64.8)
17.6(63.7)
15.3(59.5)
11.4(52.5)
8.2(46.8)
13.7(56.7)
Mean minimum °C (°F)
3.2(37.8)
4.9(40.8)
8.1(46.6)
10.4(50.7)
12.4(54.3)
15.3(59.5)
16.4(61.5)
16.6(61.9)
15.6(60.1)
11.8(53.2)
8.0(46.4)
5.2(41.4)
3.0(37.4)
Record low °C (°F)
−1.0(30.2)
0.3(32.5)
0.6(33.1)
3.9(39.0)
3.3(37.9)
9.2(48.6)
10.0(50.0)
9.0(48.2)
12.4(54.3)
7.8(46.0)
3.7(38.7)
1.7(35.1)
−1.0(30.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)
15.5(0.61)
53.7(2.11)
364.1(14.33)
792.4(31.20)
1,297.1(51.07)
2,608.1(102.68)
2,665.4(104.94)
1,768.7(69.63)
1,089.7(42.90)
461.4(18.17)
49.3(1.94)
10.2(0.40)
11,175.8(439.99)
Average rainy days (≥ 2.5 mm)
1.4
2.5
7.4
16.1
20.7
25.2
27.8
24.1
18.2
7.6
1.6
0.8
153.5
Average relative humidity (%)
69
66
68
79
85
92
94
92
89
80
70
70
80
Source 1: India Meteorological Department
Source 2: NOAA (humidity), Tokyo Climate Center (mean temperatures 1991–2020)
Causes of high rainfall[edit]
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Sohra receives rains from the Bay of Bengal arm of the Indian summer monsoon. The monsoon clouds fly unhindered over the plains of Bangladesh for about 400 km. Thereafter, they hit the Khasi Hills which rise abruptly from the plains to a height of about 1,370 m above mean sea level within 2 to 5 km. The geography of the hills with many deep valley channels encompassing the low-flying (150–300 m) moisture-laden clouds from a wide area converges over Sohra. The winds push the rain clouds through these gorges and up the steep slopes. The rapid ascent of the clouds into the upper atmosphere hastens the cooling and helps vapours to condense. Most of the rain is the result of air being lifted as a large body of water vapour. The extreme amount of rainfall is perhaps the best-known feature of orographic rain in northeastern India.
Occasionally, cloudbursts can occur in one part of Sohra while other areas may be totally or relatively dry, reflecting the high spatial variability of the rainfall. Atmospheric humidity is extremely high during the peak monsoon period.
The major part of the rainfall at Sohra can be attributed to the orographic features. When the clouds are blown over the hills from the south, they are funneled through the valley. The clouds strike Sohra perpendicularly and the low flying clouds are pushed up the steep slopes. It is not surprising to find that the heaviest rainfalls occur when the winds blow directly on the Khasi Hills.
A notable feature of monsoon rain at Sohra is that most of it falls in the morning. This could be partly due to two air masses coming together. During the monsoon months, the prevailing winds along the Brahmaputra valley generally blow from the east or the northeast, but the winds over Meghalaya are from the south. These two winds systems usually come together in the vicinity of the Khasi Hills. Apparently, the winds that are trapped in the valley at night begin their upward ascent only after they are warmed during the day. This partially explains the frequency of morning rainfall. Apart from orographic features, atmospheric convection plays an important role during the monsoon and the period just preceding it.
