The correct answer is the Mediterranean Sea. Explanation & Key Takeaways: Western disturbances are extratropical storms that bring sudden winter rain to the northern parts of India. They originate in the Mediterranean Sea. Western Disturbances • Western Disturbances form in the mid-latitude area, situated north of the Tropic of Cancer. This is why they are referred to as mid-latitude storms or extra-tropical storms. • Western Disturbances are low-pressure systems, embedded in western winds (westerlies) that flow from west to east. Arrival in India • Western Disturbances begin is a low-pressure system that originates in the Mid-latitude region near the Atlantic Ocean and Europe. • The low pressure typically forms over the Mediterranean Sea and travels over Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan before entering India loaded with moisture. • These moisture-laden western disturbances eventually come up against the Himalayas and get blocked, as a consequence, the moisture gets trapped and precipitation is shared in the form of snow and rain over Northwest India and other parts of North India. • An average of 4-5 western disturbances form during the winter season and the rainfall distribution and amount varies with every western disturbance. • The word 'Western' refers to the direction from which they originate in India. • The word 'disturbance' is used because the air within the low-pressure systems tends to be unstable or disturbed. • When western disturbances become more intense in the Indian Region, they can extend even up to 15 degrees north, resulting in rainfall up to north Maharashtra, Gujarat, and the entire Madhya Pradesh to the south. Impact • Western Disturbances are the cause of most winter and pre-monsoon season rainfall across North-West India. • This phenomenon is usually associated with a cloudy sky, higher night temperatures, and unusual rain. • It is estimated that India gets close to 5-10% of its total annual rainfall from western disturbances. • In winter, western winds bring moderate to heavy rain in low-lying areas and heavy snow to mountainous areas of the Indian subcontinent. • India is a rain-dependent country and while the southwest monsoon covers most of India, parts of North India don’t get much rain from it. • These regions depend upon snow and rain from western disturbances during the winter season from November to March. • Precipitation during the winter season has great importance in agriculture particularly for rabi crops including wheat, which is one of the most important Indian crops. • They start declining after winter. • During the summer months of April and May, they move across North India and at times help in the activation of monsoon in certain parts of northwest India. • During the monsoon season, western disturbances may occasionally cause dense clouding and heavy precipitation. • Weak western disturbances are associated with crop failure and water problems across north India. • Strong western disturbances can help residents, farmers and governments avoid many of the problems associated with water scarcity. Related Concepts: • The Mediterranean Sea is located between Eurasia and Africa, mostly surrounded by land. • It shares borders with 21 countries: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. • To the west, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean via the Strait of Gibraltar. • To the east, it is linked to the Black Sea through the Dardanelles Straits. • To the south, it is connected to the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. • The Nile River in Africa drains into the Mediterranean Sea.