Monsoon begins to withdraw, says IMD

WEATHER | OCT 10, 2019:

The monsoon finally began to withdraw from northwest India on October 9, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

This is the southwest monsoon's most delayed withdrawal since 1961, when it occurred on October 1. The IMD has noted factors to determine that the withdrawal has begun over Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan. These include a persistent anticyclonic circulation (signifying calmer weather and in this case, the beginning of north India's winter), and a reduction in moisture and rainfall levels.

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However, rainfall continues in other parts of the country. On Thursday, heavy rain is expected in parts of Madhya Maharashtra, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal and Kerala and Mahe, authorities said.

This year the Southwest Monsoon gave India 10% excess rainfall over the long-term average, with Central India (including Maharashtra and Gujarat) experiencing 29% surplus. The East and Northeast division got the highest deficit, at 12% below long term average.

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Conditions are ideal for the monsoon to exit northwest India (defined by the IMD as a huge area covering Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan) by Friday. The monsoon could withdraw from central India in 2-3 days after that, IMD said.

The end of the southwest monsoon will be followed by the northeast monsoon, expected to commence in the third week of October. The northeast monsoon provides nearly half the annual rainfall to Tamil Nadu, besides causing wet weather in multiple southern Indian states.