Editing Monsoon (section)

==Global monsoon<!-- Other articles link here-->==

===Summary table===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Location
! Monsoon/sub-system
! Average date of arrival
! Average date of withdrawal
! Notes
|-
| Northern Mexico
| North American/Gulf of California-Southwest USA
| late May<ref name="Archived copy">{{cite web |url=https://weather.com/news/weather/news/southwest-monsoon-2017-begin |title=Southwest Monsoon 2017 Forecast: Warmer-Than-Average Conditions Could Lead to More Storms |access-date=2017-06-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606034813/https://weather.com/news/weather/news/southwest-monsoon-2017-begin |archive-date=2017-06-06 }}</ref>
| September
| incomplete wind reversal, waves
|-
| Tucson, Arizona, USA
| North American/Gulf of California-Southwest USA
| early July<ref name="Archived copy"/>
| September
| incomplete wind reversal, waves
|-
| Central America
| Central/South American Monsoon
| April{{Citation needed|date=December 2019|reason=removed citation to predatory publisher content}}
| October{{Citation needed|date=December 2019|reason=removed citation to predatory publisher content}}
| true monsoon
|-
| Amazon Brazil
| South American monsoon
| September{{Citation needed|date=December 2019|reason=removed citation to predatory publisher content}}
| May{{Citation needed|date=December 2019|reason=removed citation to predatory publisher content}}
| waves
|-
| Southeast Brazil
| South American monsoon
| November{{Citation needed|date=December 2019|reason=removed citation to predatory publisher content}}
| March{{Citation needed|date=December 2019|reason=removed citation to predatory publisher content}}
| waves
|-
| West Africa
| West African
| June 22<ref name="inno">Innovations Report. [http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/umwelt_naturschutz/bericht-16061.html Monsoon in West Africa: Classic continuity hides a dual-cycle rainfall regime.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919181741/http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/umwelt_naturschutz/bericht-16061.html |date=2011-09-19 }} Retrieved on 2008-05-25.</ref>
| Sept<ref name="brit1">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/West-African-monsoon/images-videos/ |title=West African monsoon |access-date=2017-06-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625103530/https://www.britannica.com/science/West-African-monsoon/images-videos |archive-date=2016-06-25 }}</ref> /October<ref name="inno"/>
| waves 
|-
| Southeast Africa
| Southeast Africa monsoon w/ Harmattan 
| Jan<ref name="brit1"/>
| March<ref name="brit1"/>
| waves
|- 
| Kerala, India
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon	
| Jun 1<ref name="brittanica"/>
| Dec 1<ref name="brittanica"/>
| persistent
|-
| Mumbai, India
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| June 10<ref name="brittanica"/>
| Oct 1<ref name="brittanica"/>
| persistent
|-
| Karachi, Pakistan
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| late June - early July<ref name="brittanica"/>
| September<ref name="brittanica"/>
| abrupt
|- 
| Lahore, Pakistan
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| late June<ref name="brittanica"/>
| end of September<ref name="brittanica"/>
| abrupt
|- 
| Phuket, Thailand
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| February/March
| December
| persistent
|-
| Colombo, Sri Lanka
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| May 25<ref name="brittanica">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/Indian-monsoon |title=Indian monsoon &#124; meteorology |access-date=2017-06-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801140005/https://www.britannica.com/science/Indian-monsoon |archive-date=2016-08-01 }}</ref>
| Dec 15<ref name="brittanica"/>
| persistent
|- 
| Bangkok, Thailand
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| April–May
| October/November
| persistent
|-
| Yangon, Myanmar
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| May 25<ref name="brittanica"/>
| Nov 1<ref name="brittanica"/>
| persistent
|-
| Dhaka, Bangladesh
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| mid-June
| October
| abrupt
|- 
| Cebu, Philippines
| Indo-Australian/Borneo-Australian/Australian monsoon
| October
| March
| abrupt
|-
| [[Kelantan]], Malaysia
| Indo-Australian/Borneo-Australian/Australian monsoon
| October
| March
| waves
|- 
| Jakarta, Indonesia
| Indo-Australian/Borneo-Australian/Australian monsoon
| November
| March
| abrupt
|-
| Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| May 10<ref name="brittanica"/>
| October
| abrupt
|-
| Taipei, Taiwan
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| May 20<ref name="brittanica"/>
| October
| abrupt
|-
| Hanoi, Vietnam
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| May 20<ref name="brittanica"/>
| October
| abrupt
|-
| Kagoshima, Japan
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| Jun 10<ref name="brittanica"/>
| October
| abrupt
|-
| Seoul, South Korea
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| July 10<ref name="brittanica"/>
| September
| abrupt
|-
| Beijing, China
| Indo-Australian/Indian-Indochina/East Asian monsoon
| July 20<ref name="brittanica"/>
| September
| abrupt
|- 
| Darwin, Australia
| Indo-Australian/Borneo-Australian/Australian monsoon
| Oct<ref name="brit1"/>
| April<ref name="brit1"/>
| persistent
|}

=== Africa (West African and Southeast African) {{anchor|Africa}}===
[[Image:Saison des pluies à Mayotte.jpg|thumb|Southeast African monsoon clouds over [[Mayotte]]]]

The monsoon of western [[Sub-Saharan Africa]] is the result of the seasonal shifts of the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone]] and the great seasonal temperature and humidity differences between the [[Sahara]] and the equatorial Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{cite web|author=African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) |title=Characteristics of the West African Monsoon |url=http://www.amma-international.org/article.php3?id_article=10 |publisher=AMMA |access-date=2009-10-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712202355/http://www.amma-international.org/article.php3?id_article=10 |archive-date=July 12, 2007 }}</ref> The ITCZ migrates northward from the equatorial Atlantic in February, reaches western Africa on or near June 22, then moves back to the south by October.<ref name="inno"/> The dry, northeasterly [[trade winds]], and their more extreme form, the [[harmattan]], are interrupted by the northern shift in the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone|ITCZ]] and resultant southerly, rain-bearing winds during the summer. The semiarid [[Sahel]] and [[Sudan (region)|Sudan]] depend upon this pattern for most of their precipitation.

=== North America ===
{{main|North American monsoon|United States rainfall climatology}}
[[File:Incoming monsoon clouds over Arizona.jpg|thumb|Incoming monsoon clouds over [[Phoenix, Arizona]]]]
[[File:LightningCNP.ogg|thumb|Three-second video of a lightning strike within a thunderstorm over Island in the Sky, [[Canyonlands National Park]]]]

The '''North American monsoon''' ('''NAM''') occurs from late June or early July into September, originating over Mexico and spreading into the southwest United States by mid-July. It affects Mexico along the [[Sierra Madre Occidental]] as well as [[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]], [[Nevada]], [[Utah]], [[Colorado]], [[West Texas]] and [[California]]. It pushes as far west as the [[Peninsular Ranges]] and [[Transverse Ranges]] of Southern California, but rarely reaches the coastal strip (a wall of desert thunderstorms only a half-hour's drive away is a common summer sight from the sunny skies along the coast during the monsoon). The North American monsoon is known to many as the ''Summer'', ''Southwest'', ''Mexican'' or ''Arizona'' monsoon.<ref>[[Arizona State University]] Department of Geography. [http://geography.asu.edu/aztc/monsoon.html Basics of Arizona Monsoon.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531091848/http://geography.asu.edu/aztc/monsoon.html |date=2009-05-31 }} Retrieved on 2008-02-29.</ref><ref>New Mexico Tech. [http://www.ees.nmt.edu/vivoni/hydromet/lectures/Lecture17.pdf Lecture 17:&nbsp;1. North American Monsoon System.] Retrieved on 2008-02-29. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030193504/http://www.ees.nmt.edu/vivoni/hydromet/lectures/Lecture17.pdf |date=October 30, 2008 }}</ref> It is also sometimes called the ''Desert monsoon'' as a large part of the affected area are the [[Mojave Desert|Mojave]] and [[Sonoran Desert|Sonoran desert]]s. However, it is controversial whether the [[North American Monsoon|North]] and South American weather patterns with incomplete wind reversal should be counted as true monsoons.<ref name=Rohli>{{cite book |last1=Rohli |first1=Robert V. |last2=Vega |first2=Anthony J. |year=2011 |title=Climatology |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |page=187 |isbn=978-0763791018 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WhtZKBCv7NMC&pg=PA187 |access-date=2011-07-23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619061156/http://books.google.com/books?id=WhtZKBCv7NMC&pg=PA187 |archive-date=2013-06-19|quote=''Although the North American monsoon region experiences pronounced precipitation seasonally, it differs from a true monsoon, which is characterized by  a distinct seasonal reversal of prevailing surface winds. No such situation occurs in [North America]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/glodech/10Monsoon.html|title=The Future of the North American Monsoon|first1=Ben|last1=Cook|first2=Richard|last2=Seager}}</ref>

=== Asia ===
The Asian monsoons may be classified into a few sub-systems, such as the Indian Subcontinental Monsoon which affects the Indian subcontinent and surrounding regions including Nepal, and the East Asian Monsoon which affects southern China, [[Taiwan]], Korea and parts of Japan.

==== South Asian monsoon ====
{{Main|Monsoon of South Asia}}

=====Southwest monsoon=====
[[File:India southwest summer monsoon onset map en.svg|thumb|Onset dates and prevailing wind currents of the southwest summer monsoons in India]]

The southwestern summer monsoons occur from June through September. The [[Thar Desert]] and adjoining areas of the northern and central Indian subcontinent heat up considerably during the hot summers. This causes a low pressure area over the northern and central Indian subcontinent. To fill this void, the moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean rush into the subcontinent. These winds, rich in moisture, are drawn towards the [[Himalayas]]. The Himalayas act like a high wall, blocking the winds from passing into Central Asia, and forcing them to rise. As the clouds rise, their temperature drops, and [[Orographic precipitation|precipitation occurs]]. Some areas of the subcontinent receive up to {{convert|10000|mm|in|abbr=on}} of rain annually.

The southwest monsoon is generally expected to begin around the beginning of June and fade away by the end of September. The moisture-laden winds on reaching the southernmost point of the [[Indian subcontinent|Indian Peninsula]], due to its topography, become divided into two parts: the ''Arabian Sea Branch'' and the ''Bay of Bengal Branch''.

The ''Arabian Sea Branch'' of the Southwest Monsoon first hits the [[Western Ghats]] of the coastal state of [[Kerala]], India, thus making this area the first state in India to receive rain from the Southwest Monsoon. This branch of the monsoon moves northwards along the Western Ghats ([[Konkan]] and [[Goa]]) with precipitation on coastal areas, west of the Western Ghats. The eastern areas of the Western Ghats do not receive much rain from this monsoon as the wind does not cross the Western Ghats.

The ''Bay of Bengal Branch'' of Southwest Monsoon flows over the [[Bay of Bengal]] heading towards north-east India and [[Bengal]], picking up more moisture from the Bay of Bengal. The winds arrive at the [[Himalaya|Eastern Himalayas]] with large amounts of rain. [[Mawsynram]], situated on the southern slopes of the [[Khasi Hills]] in [[Meghalaya]], India, is one of the wettest places on Earth. After the arrival at the Eastern Himalayas, the winds turns towards the west, travelling over the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]] at a rate of roughly 1–2 weeks per state,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pz_xAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|title=Weather and Climate: India in Focus|last=Explore|first=Team|date=2005|publisher=EdPower21 Education Solutions|page=28}}</ref> pouring rain all along its way. June 1 is regarded as the date of onset of the monsoon in India, as indicated by the arrival of the monsoon in the southernmost state of Kerala.

The monsoon accounts for nearly 80% of the rainfall in India.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdFBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA121|title=Experimental Agrometeorology: A Practical Manual|last1=Ahmad|first1=Latief|last2=Kanth|first2=Raihana Habib|last3=Parvaze|first3=Sabah|last4=Mahdi|first4=Syed Sheraz|date=2017|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-69185-5|page=121}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://weather.com/en-IN/india/monsoon/news/2018-06-27-india-southwest-northeast-monsoon|title=Why India's Twin Monsoons Are Critical To Its Well-Being {{!}} The Weather Channel|work=The Weather Channel|access-date=2018-09-05|language=en-US|archive-date=2018-09-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905181534/https://weather.com/en-IN/india/monsoon/news/2018-06-27-india-southwest-northeast-monsoon|url-status=dead}}</ref> Indian agriculture (which accounts for 25% of the GDP and employs 70% of the population) is heavily dependent on the rains, for growing crops especially like [[cotton]], [[rice]], [[oilseeds]] and coarse grains. A delay of a few days in the arrival of the monsoon can badly affect the economy, as evidenced in the numerous droughts in India in the 1990s.

The monsoon is widely welcomed and appreciated by city-dwellers as well, for it provides relief from the climax of summer heat in June.<ref>Official Web Site of District Sirsa, India. [http://sirsa.gov.in/htfiles/location.html District Sirsa.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228153903/http://sirsa.gov.in/htfiles/location.html |date=2010-12-28 }} Retrieved on 2008-12-27.</ref> However, the roads take a battering every year. Often houses and streets are waterlogged and slums are flooded despite drainage systems. A lack of city infrastructure coupled with changing climate patterns causes severe economic loss including damage to property and loss of lives, as evidenced in the [[2005 Maharashtra floods|2005 flooding in Mumbai]] that brought the city to a standstill. [[Bangladesh]] and certain regions of India like [[Assam]] and [[West Bengal]], also frequently experience heavy floods during this season. Recently, areas in India that used to receive scanty rainfall throughout the year, like the [[Thar Desert]], have surprisingly ended up receiving floods due to the prolonged monsoon season.

The influence of the Southwest Monsoon is felt as far north as in China's [[Xinjiang]]. It is estimated that about 70% of all precipitation in the central part of the [[Tian Shan|Tian Shan Mountains]] falls during the three summer months, when the region is under the monsoon influence; about 70% of that is directly of "cyclonic" (i.e., monsoon-driven) origin (as opposed to "[[convection rain|local convection]]").<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blumer |first=Felix P. |year=1998 
|contribution=Investigations of the precipitation conditions in the central part of the Tianshan mountains
|editor-last=Kovar |editor-first=Karel |publisher=International Association of Hydrological Sciences
|isbn=978-1-901502-45-9 |title=Hydrology, water resources and ecology in headwaters. Volume 248 of IAHS publication
|url= http://iahs.info/redbooks/a193/iahs_193_0343.pdf
|pages=343–350}}<!-- |bookurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=SBSygC_IHHIC --></ref> The effects also extend westwards to the Mediterranean, where however the impact of the monsoon is to induce drought via the [[Rodwell-Hoskins mechanism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rodwell |first1=Mark J. |last2=Hoskins |first2=Brian J. |title=Monsoons and the dynamics of deserts |journal=Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society |date=1996 |volume=122 |issue=534 |pages=1385–1404 |doi=10.1002/qj.49712253408 |bibcode=1996QJRMS.122.1385R |url=https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fqj.49712253408 |language=en |issn=1477-870X}}</ref>

{{Multiple image
| align             = center
| width             = 300
| image1            = Bhawal National Park.jpg
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = 
| image2            = Into the green, Bhawal National Park.jpg
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = 
| footer            = Extreme difference is very much evident between wet and dry seasons in tropical seasonal forest. The image at left is taken at [[Bhawal National Park]] in central Bangladesh during dry season, and the right one is taken in wet monsoon season.
| total_width       = 500
}}

=====Northeast monsoon=====
[[File:(1) Agriculture and rural farms of India.jpg|thumb|Monsoon clouds in [[Madhya Pradesh]]]]

Around September, with the sun retreating south, the northern landmass of the Indian subcontinent begins to cool off rapidly, and air pressure begins to build over northern India. The Indian Ocean and its surrounding atmosphere still hold their heat, causing cold wind to sweep down from the [[Himalayas]] and [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]] towards the vast spans of the Indian Ocean south of the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] peninsula. This is known as the Northeast Monsoon or Retreating Monsoon.

While travelling towards the Indian Ocean, the cold dry wind picks up some moisture from the [[Bay of Bengal]] and pours it over peninsular India and parts of [[Sri Lanka]]. Cities like [[Chennai]], which get less rain from the Southwest Monsoon, receive rain from this Monsoon. About 50% to 60% of the rain received by the state of [[Tamil Nadu]] is from the Northeast Monsoon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdchennai.gov.in/northeast_monsoon.htm|title=NORTHEAST MONSOON|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151229133725/http://www.imdchennai.gov.in/northeast_monsoon.htm|archive-date=2015-12-29|access-date=2011-11-07}}</ref> In Southern Asia, the northeastern monsoons take place from October to December when the surface [[high-pressure system]] is strongest.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zhbqbrg2XswC&q=characteristics+of+an+oceanic+climate+koppen&pg=PA203|title=Climatology|author1=Robert V. Rohli |author2=Anthony J. Vega |page=204|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Publishers|year=2007|access-date=2009-07-19|isbn=978-0-7637-3828-0}}</ref> The [[jet stream]] in this region splits into the southern subtropical jet and the polar jet. The subtropical flow directs northeasterly winds to blow across southern Asia, creating dry [[air stream]]s which produce clear skies over India. Meanwhile, a low pressure system known as a [[monsoon trough]] develops over [[South-East Asia]] and [[Australasia]] and winds are directed toward Australia. In the Philippines, northeast monsoon is called [[Amihan]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arceo |first=Acor |date=2023-10-20 |title=Philippines' northeast monsoon season underway |url=https://www.rappler.com/nation/weather/pagasa-northeast-monsoon-amihan-philippines-start-october-20-2023/ |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=RAPPLER |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== East Asian monsoon ====
{{main|East Asian monsoon}}
[[File:3933Typhoons Krosa Lekima monsoon tidal flooding in Calumpit, Bulacan 13.jpg|thumb|Monsoon floods in the Philippines]]
[[File:A classic summer thunderstorm in Silang, Cavite.jpg|thumb|Monsoonal summer thunderstorm in [[Silang, Cavite]], Philippines]]
The East Asian monsoon affects large parts of [[Indochina]], the [[Philippines]], China, [[Taiwan]], Korea, Japan, and [[Siberia]]. It is characterised by a warm, rainy summer monsoon and a cold, dry winter monsoon. The rain occurs in a concentrated belt that stretches east–west except in East China where it is tilted east-northeast over Korea and Japan. The seasonal rain is known as ''Meiyu'' in China, ''Jangma'' in Korea, and ''Bai-u'' in Japan, with the latter two resembling frontal rain.

The onset of the summer monsoon is marked by a period of premonsoonal rain over South China and Taiwan in early May. From May through August, the summer monsoon shifts through a series of dry and rainy phases as the rain belt moves northward, beginning over [[Indochina]] and the [[South China Sea]] (May), to the [[Yangtze River|Yangtze River Basin]] and Japan (June) and finally to northern China and Korea (July). When the monsoon ends in August, the rain belt moves back to southern China.

=== Australia ===
{{main|Australian monsoon}}
[[File:Evening monsoonal squall.jpg|thumb|Monsoonal squall nears [[Darwin, Northern Territory]], Australia]]

The rainy season occurs from September to February and it is a major source of energy for the [[Hadley circulation]] during boreal winter. It is associated with the development of the [[Siberian High]] and the movement of the heating maxima from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere. North-easterly winds flow down Southeast Asia, are turned north-westerly/westerly by [[Borneo]] topography towards Australia. This forms a cyclonic circulation vortex over Borneo, which together with descending cold surges of winter air from higher latitudes, cause significant weather phenomena in the region. Examples are the formation of a rare low-latitude tropical storm in 2001, [[Tropical Storm Vamei]], and the [[2007 Jakarta flood|devastating flood of Jakarta]] in 2007.

The onset of the monsoon over [[Australia]] tends to follow the heating maxima down [[Vietnam]] and the [[Malay Peninsula]] (September), to [[Sumatra]], [[Borneo]] and the [[Philippines]] (October), to [[Java]], [[Sulawesi]] (November), [[Irian Jaya]] and northern Australia (December, January). However, the monsoon is not a simple response to heating but a more complex interaction of topography, wind and sea, as demonstrated by its abrupt rather than gradual withdrawal from the region. The Australian monsoon (the "Wet") occurs in the southern summer when the monsoon trough develops over [[Northern Australia]]. Over three-quarters of annual rainfall in Northern Australia falls during this time.

=== Europe ===
{{See also|Climate of Europe}}

The '''European Monsoon''' (more commonly known as the '''return of the westerlies''') is the result of a resurgence of westerly winds from the Atlantic, where they become loaded with wind and rain.<ref>Visser, S.W. (1953). Some remarks on the European monsoon. Birkhäuser: Basel.</ref> These westerly winds are a common phenomenon during the European winter, but they ease as spring approaches in late March and through April and May. The winds pick up again in June, which is why this phenomenon is also referred to as "the return of the westerlies".<ref>{{cite news|author=Leo Hickman|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/09/weather.europe|title=The Question: What is the European monsoon?|access-date=2009-06-09|date=2008-07-09|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902125943/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/09/weather.europe|archive-date=2013-09-02}}</ref>

The rain usually arrives in two waves, at the beginning of June, and again in mid- to late June. The European monsoon is not a monsoon in the traditional sense in that it doesn't meet all the requirements to be classified as such. Instead, the return of the westerlies is more regarded as a conveyor belt that delivers a series of low-pressure centres to Western Europe where they create unsettled weather. These storms generally feature significantly lower-than-average temperatures, fierce rain or hail, thunder, and strong winds.<ref>{{cite news|author=Paul Simons|newspaper=The Times|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/weather/article6451573.ece|title='European Monsoon' to blame for cold and rainy start to June|access-date=2009-06-09|date=2009-06-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604174824/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/weather/article6451573.ece|archive-date=2011-06-04}}</ref>

The return of the westerlies affects Europe's Northern Atlantic coastline, more precisely Ireland, Great Britain, the [[Benelux|Benelux countries]], western Germany, northern France and parts of Scandinavia.