“Kerala lies
between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east and its
coast is around 580 km long. Consequently its topography consists of a hot
and wet coastal plain gradually rising in elevation to the high hills and
mountains of the Ghats. Its climate is mainly wet and maritime tropical and is
heavily influenced by the seasonal heavy rains brought up by the monsoon
between June and August.
As a result, Kerala averages about 130 rainy days per year with an average annual rainfall of 3107 mm. In summer, most of Kerala is prone to gale-force winds, storm surges, and torrential downpours accompanying cyclones coming off the Indian Ocean. The average maximum daily temperature is around 32°C (90°F) with a minimum of 19.8°C (68°F).”
In Kerala the pleasantest time of day is before 9.00am when it is still cool from the night. After that the temperature gradually builds until it reaches its peak between 2-5pm. If there is rain around some heat is lost but the humidity rises often to 100%. The most unpleasant combination is when the temperature is high and the humidity is low. This is when a breeze or a fan is most welcome.
Every home has fans whether ceiling or floor mounted. Not all have air conditioning and those that do mostly have these in bedrooms. Their common feature is that they run on electricity but power supply in India is not always reliable and there are regular power outages. If you could see the tangled mass of cables that dangle from poles lining the roads you would understand why wind or falling objects cause power failures. Often supply may be restored quickly but can take hours or longer.
As a result, Kerala averages about 130 rainy days per year with an average annual rainfall of 3107 mm. In summer, most of Kerala is prone to gale-force winds, storm surges, and torrential downpours accompanying cyclones coming off the Indian Ocean. The average maximum daily temperature is around 32°C (90°F) with a minimum of 19.8°C (68°F).”
In Kerala the pleasantest time of day is before 9.00am when it is still cool from the night. After that the temperature gradually builds until it reaches its peak between 2-5pm. If there is rain around some heat is lost but the humidity rises often to 100%. The most unpleasant combination is when the temperature is high and the humidity is low. This is when a breeze or a fan is most welcome.
Every home has fans whether ceiling or floor mounted. Not all have air conditioning and those that do mostly have these in bedrooms. Their common feature is that they run on electricity but power supply in India is not always reliable and there are regular power outages. If you could see the tangled mass of cables that dangle from poles lining the roads you would understand why wind or falling objects cause power failures. Often supply may be restored quickly but can take hours or longer.
Loss of power is
less of a problem for those homes that have an inverter installed. These
effectively keep large batteries charged up which can automatically be switched
to if power is lost. Without an inverter things can get rather uncomfortable
especially after dark if there are no cooling fans and the only light is from
candles or torches.
In countries like
the UK we take constant power supply for granted whereas in India it is a
precious commodity, the true value of which you only realise when it is lost.
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