Geography of Thiruvananthapuram

The Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram is located in Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala. The city is located at 8°30′N 76°54′E / 8.5°N 76.9°E on the west coast, near the southern tip of mainland India.[1] The city situated on the west coast of India, and is bounded by Arabian Sea to its west and the Western Ghats to its east. The city and the suburbs spans an area of 250 km2 (96.53 sq mi). The average elevation of the city is 16 ft above sea level.[2] The highest point within the city limits is the observatory. (60 metres (197 ft))[3] Agastya Mala, which has an elevation of 1,868 metres (6,129 ft) is only about 60 km from the city. The Ponmudi hill station which has an elevation of 1,100 metres (3,609 ft) is also near the city.

Climate

The city has a climate that borders between a tropical savanna climate and a tropical monsoon climate. As a result it does not experience distinct seasons. The mean maximum temperature 34 °C and the mean minimum temperature is 21 °C. The humidity is high and rises to about 90% during the monsoon season.[4] Thiruvananthapuram is the first city along the path of the south-west monsoons and gets its first showers in early June. The city gets heavy rainfall of around 1700 mm per year. The city also gets rain from the receding north-east monsoons which hit the city by October. The dry season sets in by December. December, January and February are the coldest months while March, April and May are the hottest. The winter temperature comes down to about 15 °C. Highest temperatures recorded is 37 °C.[5]

Climate data for Thiruvananthapuram City (1971–2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.5
(95.9)		 36.3
(97.3)		 37.7
(99.9)		 38.0
(100.4)		 35.8
(96.4)		 35.8
(96.4)		 33.7
(92.7)		 34.0
(93.2)		 35.4
(95.7)		 35.0
(95)		 34.3
(93.7)		 35.5
(95.9)		 38.0
(100.4)
Average high °C (°F) 32.0
(89.6)		 32.3
(90.1)		 33.2
(91.8)		 33.1
(91.6)		 32.3
(90.1)		 30.1
(86.2)		 29.8
(85.6)		 29.8
(85.6)		 30.6
(87.1)		 30.4
(86.7)		 30.6
(87.1)		 31.6
(88.9)		 31.3
(88.3)
Average low °C (°F) 22.1
(71.8)		 22.8
(73)		 24.1
(75.4)		 25.1
(77.2)		 25.0
(77)		 23.7
(74.7)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.2
(73.8)		 22.7
(72.9)		 23.5
(74.3)
Record low °C (°F) 16.4
(61.5)		 18.1
(64.6)		 20.2
(68.4)		 20.3
(68.5)		 20.1
(68.2)		 20.0
(68)		 20.2
(68.4)		 18.2
(64.8)		 20.8
(69.4)		 20.1
(68.2)		 18.9
(66)		 18.2
(64.8)		 16.4
(61.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 15.9
(0.626)		 22.7
(0.894)		 27.8
(1.094)		 118.8
(4.677)		 198.6
(7.819)		 330.4
(13.008)		 188.1
(7.406)		 152.3
(5.996)		 169.1
(6.657)		 254.5
(10.02)		 211.9
(8.343)		 64.0
(2.52)		 1,754.2
(69.063)
Avg. precipitation days 1.0 1.7 2.3 6.5 9.7 16.6 13.4 10.3 8.7 11.7 9.2 4.2 95.4
Average relative humidity (%) 69 70 72 77 79 85 84 83 82 83 82 74 78
Mean monthly sunshine hours 262.8 242.3 250.7 214.0 197.3 133.5 149.7 166.6 173.4 170.8 166.3 216.6 2,344
Source #1: India Meteorological Department (record high and low up to 2010)[6][7]
Source #2: NOAA (sun and humidity, 1971–1990)[8]

Seismology

The Geological Survey of India has identified Thiruvananthapuram as a moderately earthquake-prone urban centre and categorized the city in the Seismic III Zone.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Thiruvananthapuram, India Page". Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  2. ↑ "Rainfall Stations in India". Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (Pune). Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  3. ↑ "Tracking the Monsoon". The Hindu, Metro Plus Thiruvananthapuram. Jun 3, 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  4. ↑ "Trivandrum Climate". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2006-08-25.
  5. ↑ "Trivandrum Seasons". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  6. ↑ "Ever recorded Maximum and minimum temperatures upto 2010" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Thiruvananthapuram Climatological Table Period: 1971-2000". India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Thiruvananthapuram Climate Normals 1971-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  9. ↑ Seismic zoning map of India (Map). Geological Survey of India. Retrieved 2010-07-01.