Asian monsoons and regional rainfall

GeographyRegions & CountriesAges 12–13

A hand-drawn map of Asia shows the two pressure centers that drive the monsoons: in winter, the cold, dry Siberian High pushes air out to sea, while in summer the South Asian–Iranian Low draws air in from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Drag the month slider or press Run to watch the wind arrows reverse with the seasons; click a region on the map (South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia) to compare its 12-month rainfall chart and see why South Asia and Southeast Asia get very heavy summer rain while Central Asia, deep inland, stays dry all year.