Retrieval of water vapor using SSM/I and its relation with the onset of monsoon

Abstract. The seasonal variations and interannual variability of total precipitable water (TPW) deduced from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) satellite over oceanic regions of the Indian sub-continent during the years between 1988 to 1998 show characteristic behavior. The weekly patterns of TPW are found to be closely related to the dynamics of the climatic conditions and the onset date of monsoon. The present results show that the satellite monitoring of TPW may prove as a good and reliable indicator in forecasting Indian monsoon.