Mesoscale Convective Complexes over the Indian Monsoon Region

Full disk infrared satellite imagery from the Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) geostationary meteorological satellite was examined to determine if mesoscale convective complexes (MCCs) frequent the Indian subcontinent (ISC) region. Using western hemisphere MCC studies as a guide, MCC criteria were defined for the ISC; 49 systems met the ISC MCC criteria during the period April to December 1988. From this database, characteristics of ISC MCCs were calculated and compared to the characteristics of previously documented MCC populations. The results indicate that the characteristics of ISC MCCs are very similar to those of MCCs found in the Americas, China, Australia, and the western Pacific region. In particular, the typical system is nocturnal, tends to form over land, has a lifetime of about 9 h, and produces a cold cloud shield area of about 3 × 105 km2. Furthermore, as with other MCC populations, some of the systems developed into tropical depressions. It is concluded that the systems observed over the Indian subcontinent are essentially the same phenomena as the MCC populations documented for other areas of the world. Their high frequency and large rainfall production indicates that they are a fundamental component of the monsoon and hydrological cycle in the Indian monsoon region.