The winter rain in Madras is caused by

Answer: (b) North-East Monsoons

The north-east monsoon brings Chennai its winter rain.

The idea

A wind that starts over land can still bring rain if it crosses a warm sea before reaching a coast. In the cool season, north-easterlies cross the Bay of Bengal and gain water vapour. Their arrival explains why Chennai’s main rainy season differs from the summer-rain pattern over much of India.

Land cools after summer → North-easterly circulation develops → Winds cross the Bay of Bengal → Evaporation adds moisture → Clouds form near the south-eastern coast → Chennai receives seasonal rain

Why the others are wrong

(a) The SW monsoon gives Chennai little rain (rain shadow).

(c) Land–sea breezes don’t give seasonal rain.

(d) Bay cyclones add to it, but the NE monsoon is the main cause.

The trap

Cyclones are dramatic, but the monsoon is the main source.

Also know

The Coromandel coast faces the Bay of Bengal; the Malabar coast faces the Arabian Sea. Bay depressions and cyclones can intensify the cool-season rain. A sea breeze is a daily local circulation and cannot by itself explain a whole rainy season.