Sirsa is located 29.53'N 75.02'E, occupying the extreme west corner of Haryana. It has an average elevation of 205 metres , or 672 feet.
Topography of Sirsa
The terrain of Sirsa district is broadly divided into three parts, namely Haryana Plain, Alluvial Bed of Ghaggar or Nali and The Sand Dune Track.
Haryana Plain
The Haryana Plain entails a large surface of flattish rolling terrain and extends southward to the alluvial bed of Ghaggar, occupying over 65 percent of the District area. The most distinctive feature of this plain is the occurrence of paleo-channels, which serve to differentiate between sand dunes in the plain and those of the Sand Dune Tract.
Alluvial Bed of Ghaggar - Nali
This alluvial bed is characterized by thick, clayey land owing to severe water logging which is very common in this area. Swamps occur in this area, supporting tall grass. The Alluvial Bed of Ghaggar is bordered by the Sand Dune Tract in the south and in the north and west by the Haryana Plain.
Sand Dune Tract
This area occupies the southernmost part of the district. Locally, these dunes are referred to as tibbas. These sand dunes, or tibbas, are basically broad transverse complex land ridges.
Population of Sirsa
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As per Census 2011, Sirsa has a total population of 12,95,189 residents. Of these, men occupy almost 54 percent and the average literacy rate of the city is 68 percent.
Climate of Sirsa
The climate of Sirsa is characterized by its arid dryness, extreme temperatures and very scanty rainfall. A typical year may be divided into four seasons the winter season occurs from November to March, followed by the Summer season which lasts up to the end of June. South-west monsoons occur between July to mid-September and post-monsoon season is from mid-September to October.
Rainfall
On an average, Sirsa experiences only about twenty days with rainfall of more than 2.5mm. The average annual rainfall in Sirsa is approximately 32-53 mm. Usually, the rainfall increases from West to East. The heaviest rainfall in Sirsa was recorded in 1917, and the scantiest in 1920.
Temperature
During the hottest time of the year, which is May-June, the mean daily maximum varies from 41.5'C to 46.7'C. As the month of June concludes, there is a noticeable drop in the temperatures, and this drop rapidly increases between October to November. The month of January is generally the coldest, with the mean daily maximum at 21.1'C and the mean daily minimum at 5.1'C.
Humidity
During the monsoon season, the relative humidity in the mornings is generally high, whereas during December to February, the humidity is much higher than the summer seasons. During the monsoons, the sky is generally moderately to heavily cloudy. The sky is normally clear or lightly clouded the rest of the year. Sometimes, due to passing western disturbances, cloudy skies prevail for a few days.
Winds
Sirsa is characterized by light winds which get stronger during late summer and monsoon season. During the south-west monsoon season, winds from the south-west are common, whereas in the post monsoon and winter season, westerly winds are commonly observed in the mornings, northerly and north-westerly in the afternoons. In summer, winds are more common from the west or south-west in the mornings.
Special Weather Phenomena
An occasional post-monsoon storm or depression can sometimes be seen due to some of the depressions which originate in the Bay of Bengal in the south-west monsoon season. These depressions travel across central India and can cause heavy rain before dissipating. Thunder storms are found in the monsoons, and fog can sometimes occur in the winters.