Assessment of Trends and Variability of Post-Monsoon Rainfall for Some Selected Districts of Gangetic West Bengal, India

Abstract

Trends of Indian rainfall have been extensively studied by many researchers but the subject still remains complicated due to its high spatio-temporal variability. The post-monsoon season is a period of transition between the south-west monsoon (June-September) and the dry cool winter season (December-February). It broadly coincides with two months namely October and November. Harvesting of kharif crops entirely depends on the nature and characteristics of post monsoon weather. In the present study, an attempt has been made to identify the trend and variability of postmonsoon rainfall by analyzing monthly rainfall data of these two months (October and November) from 1961 to 2010 of some selected districts of Gangetic West Bengal where rainfall is the prime factor for the successful growth of agriculture.