Which region in India receives less rainfall in summer, but heavy rainfall in winter season due to the retreating north easterly winds?

Correct — B. The eastern coast, and the Tamil Nadu stretch of it above all, sits in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats while the south-west monsoon is blowing, so its summer is comparatively dry.

Its rain arrives when the monsoon retreats. The winds reverse to north-easterlies, cross the Bay of Bengal, pick up moisture there, and strike the coast from October onwards.

That is the reversal the stem describes — dry when the rest of India is wet — and it belongs to option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Southern coastal region — 'Southern coastal region' is not one of India's named coastal divisions, and the southern stretch facing the Arabian Sea takes its rain in the summer monsoon, not after it.
• (c)
  Western coastal region — The western coast meets the Arabian Sea branch head-on and is among the wettest parts of India between June and September — the summer-heavy pattern the stem excludes.
• (d)
  Northern coastal region — India has no northern coast. The country's northern edge is the Himalaya, so this option names a region that does not exist.

India's rainfall calendar is not the same everywhere, and the Coromandel coast is the standard exception.

During the south-west monsoon the Arabian Sea branch is blocked by the Western Ghats, leaving the Tamil Nadu coast in their rain shadow, while the Bay of Bengal branch tracks up the Ganga plain instead of striking that coast.

When the monsoon withdraws the pressure pattern reverses. Dry land winds now blow out from the north-east, and the stretch that crosses the Bay of Bengal arrives at the eastern coast moisture-laden.

Key facts

• The eastern coast receives most of its rainfall from the retreating north-east monsoon between October and December.
• North-easterly winds gather moisture while crossing the Bay of Bengal before reaching the Tamil Nadu coast.
• Tamil Nadu lies in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats during the south-west monsoon.
• 'October heat' describes the hot, humid conditions of the retreating monsoon period.

Common traps

• Assuming every part of India is wettest in June to September
• Mixing up the retreating monsoon with the western disturbances that bring winter rain to north-west India

No directly related past PYQ was found.