Active, weak and break spells in the Indian summer monsoon

Active weak and break phases of the Indian summer monsoon for the period 1958–2002 are studied using ERA-40 data. The criteria for identifying the break are proposed and tested using the 850 hPa level horizontal wind shear. Independent datasets such as All-India Rainfall, NOAA Outgoing Long-wave Radiation and CMAP rainfall datasets are used for the verification of the proposed criteria.