How do meteorologists forecast a monsoon? And, what leads up to the forming of a monsoon?
Simply speaking, a monsoon is defined as seasonal change of winds (including speed and direction) with more than 70% of annual precipitation falling in the monsoon season. (There are many places in the world with seasonal wind changes but they do not qualify as Monsoons due to the fact that most of the precipitation falling is not during Monsoon season.) The largest Monsoon is the India-China Monsoon and a second would be the one near North Africa. Meteorologists in eastern Asia forecast Monsoon season and its precipitation as being strongly associated with eastern Asia’s subtropical high. The drier westerly flow meets with moist southeasterly and southwesterly circulation around the high and produce Monsoon precipitation. The subtropic high slowly jumps from south to north, bringing Monsoon season from India, (including Burma, Thailand) to southern China. From there it moves to eastern China (the region around Yangtze River) and finally to northern China. The subtropical high withdraw
