Welcome to the Ujiyari Rajasthan Current Affairs notes for 2 August 2026, prepared for RPSC, RAS and other State PCS aspirants. Being a Sunday, the day carried little in the way of fresh administrative or policy announcements. What it did carry was a significant synoptic weather situation over the state, and because RPSC regularly tests monsoon terminology and Rajasthan’s rainfall geography, we are treating that in depth rather than padding the edition with unverified items. Each item is paired with a Prelims fact table and a Mains angle, followed by four practice MCQs.
1. Well-Marked Low-Pressure Area Over Southeast Rajasthan; Monsoon Trough Through Jaisalmer
Why in News: As of 1 August 2026, the India Meteorological Department recorded a well-marked low-pressure area over southeast Rajasthan, with the axis of the monsoon trough passing through Jaisalmer and extending eastward across northern Madhya Pradesh.
Background: These are technical synoptic terms with precise meanings, and the distinction between them is directly examinable. A low-pressure area is the weakest classified stage of a cyclonic disturbance; when it intensifies slightly it is termed a well-marked low-pressure area, and further intensification produces a depression, then a deep depression, then a cyclonic storm. The monsoon trough is an elongated low-pressure zone that in the monsoon season typically runs from northwest India southeastward to the head of the Bay of Bengal. Its position is the single most important determinant of where monsoon rainfall falls: when the trough shifts north toward the Himalayan foothills, the plains experience a break monsoon with reduced rainfall; when it lies in its normal position or shifts south, the plains receive active rainfall. A trough axis passing through Jaisalmer, in Rajasthan’s extreme west, indicates a significantly northwestward-displaced trough, which brings rainfall to normally arid western Rajasthan.
Rajasthan Relevance:
- Prelims: Well-marked low-pressure area over southeast Rajasthan; monsoon trough axis through Jaisalmer extending across northern Madhya Pradesh; intensification sequence is low-pressure area, well-marked low, depression, deep depression, cyclonic storm.
- Mains: Explain how the position of the monsoon trough governs the spatial distribution of monsoon rainfall in Rajasthan, and why a northwestward-displaced trough produces rainfall in the state’s arid west.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 August 2026 |
| System | Well-marked low-pressure area over southeast Rajasthan |
| Monsoon trough axis | Passing through Jaisalmer, extending across northern Madhya Pradesh |
| Intensification sequence | Low-pressure area, well-marked low, depression, deep depression, cyclonic storm |
| Significance | A northwestward-displaced trough brings rainfall to normally arid western Rajasthan |
2. Rajasthan’s Rainfall Geography: The Aravalli Divide
Why in News: The current synoptic situation is a useful occasion to revise Rajasthan’s rainfall geography, which RPSC tests with some regularity and which explains why the same monsoon system produces very different outcomes across the state.
Background: The Aravalli Range, running roughly southwest to northeast across Rajasthan, is the state’s decisive climatic divide. It runs broadly parallel to the direction of the Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon rather than across it, which means it fails to obstruct those winds and force them to rise. Because there is no significant orographic lift, the Arabian Sea branch passes over western Rajasthan without shedding much moisture, which is a principal reason the Thar Desert lies where it does. East of the Aravallis, the state receives considerably more rainfall, drawing on the Bay of Bengal branch. The result is one of India’s sharpest rainfall gradients within a single state, from under 100 mm annually in parts of extreme western Jaisalmer, and roughly 200 to 300 mm across Barmer, to over 800 mm in the southeast around Jhalawar and Banswara.
Rajasthan Relevance:
- Prelims: The Aravalli Range runs roughly southwest to northeast and lies broadly parallel to the Arabian Sea monsoon branch, so it produces little orographic rainfall; extreme western Jaisalmer receives under 100 mm, Barmer roughly 200 to 300 mm, and the southeast over 800 mm.
- Mains: Examine why the Aravalli Range, despite being a substantial mountain system, fails to generate the orographic rainfall that the Western Ghats produce, and the consequences for Rajasthan’s water resources.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Principal climatic divide | Aravalli Range, running southwest to northeast |
| Orientation effect | Broadly parallel to the Arabian Sea monsoon branch, so minimal orographic lift |
| Western Rajasthan rainfall | Under 100 mm annually in parts of extreme western Jaisalmer; roughly 200 to 300 mm across Barmer |
| Southeastern Rajasthan rainfall | Over 800 mm in areas around Jhalawar and Banswara |
| Consequence | The Thar Desert lies west of the Aravallis; the sharpest intra-state rainfall gradient in India |
Practice MCQs
1. In IMD’s classification, what is the correct sequence of intensification for a cyclonic disturbance, starting from the weakest stage?
a) Depression, low-pressure area, well-marked low, cyclonic storm b) Low-pressure area, well-marked low-pressure area, depression, deep depression, cyclonic storm c) Well-marked low, low-pressure area, deep depression, depression, cyclonic storm d) Cyclonic storm, depression, low-pressure area, well-marked low
Answer: b
Explanation: The sequence runs low-pressure area, well-marked low-pressure area, depression, deep depression, and then cyclonic storm. On 1 August 2026 a well-marked low-pressure area lay over southeast Rajasthan, which is the second stage in this sequence.
2. When the axis of the monsoon trough shifts north toward the Himalayan foothills, what is the typical consequence for the plains of northern India?
a) Heavy rainfall across the plains b) A “break monsoon” condition with reduced rainfall over the plains c) Onset of the northeast monsoon d) Formation of a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal
Answer: b
Explanation: A northward shift of the monsoon trough toward the Himalayan foothills produces “break monsoon” conditions, in which the plains experience reduced rainfall while the foothills receive heavy rain. The trough’s position is the principal determinant of where monsoon rainfall is distributed.
3. Why does the Aravalli Range fail to produce significant orographic rainfall from the Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon?
a) It is too low in elevation throughout its length b) It lies broadly parallel to the direction of those monsoon winds rather than across their path c) It lies entirely east of the monsoon’s reach d) It is covered in dense forest that absorbs the moisture
Answer: b
Explanation: The Aravalli Range runs roughly southwest to northeast, broadly parallel to the Arabian Sea branch of the southwest monsoon, so it does not obstruct those winds and force them to rise. Without that orographic lift the winds pass over western Rajasthan without shedding much moisture, which is a principal reason the Thar Desert lies where it does.
4. Approximately what annual rainfall do parts of extreme western Jaisalmer district receive?
a) Under 100 mm b) About 500 mm c) About 800 mm d) Over 1,200 mm
Answer: a
Explanation: Parts of extreme western Jaisalmer receive under 100 mm of rainfall annually, with Barmer at roughly 200 to 300 mm, against over 800 mm in the southeast around Jhalawar and Banswara, giving Rajasthan one of the sharpest intra-state rainfall gradients in India.
