Give a geographical reason for each of the following:

(i) The northern hills of Assam do not get as much rainfall as the southern hills.

(ii) Northern India has cold-wave conditions in January.

(iii) The month of October is marked by sultry humid weather.

(i) The southern hills of Assam lie directly in the path of moisture-laden winds of Bay of Bengal branch of the South-west Monsoon. Hence, most of their moisture is shed over the southern hills and these winds become drier as they move northward. This creates a rain-shadow effect, leading to less rainfall in the northern hills of Assam.

(ii) Northern India has cold-wave conditions in January due to cold, dry northeast monsoon winds. A high-pressure area forms over Central Asia and northwest India, while a low-pressure area lies over the Indian Ocean. Winds blowing from land to sea bring cold, dry weather, and cold winds from the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan lower temperatures further.

(iii) The month of October is marked by sultry and humid weather because the Southwest monsoon begins to retreat from northern India. Although the skies start to clear and night temperatures drop, the land remains moist after the rains. The combination of high day temperatures and moisture in the air give rise to sultry humid weather in October.