Monsoon retreat begins from parts of north India, says weather department

The southwest monsoon retreated from parts of west Rajasthan and Punjab on Monday, 11 days after its normal withdrawal date, even as rainfall and thundershowers were observed in many parts of the country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Conditions are becoming favourable for its further withdrawal from some more parts of Rajasthan and Punjab and some parts of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh during next two to three days, it said, adding that dry weather is likely in parts of north India for the next five days.

"Because of the establishment of an anti-cyclonic circulation in the lower tropospheric levels over western parts of northwest India and substantial reduction in moisture content and rainfall, the southwest monsoon has withdrawn from some parts of west Rajasthan and Punjab today, the 28th September 2020, against its normal date of 17th September," the IMD added.

It said rainfall and thundershowers were observed during the day in many parts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, north-interior Karnataka and Lakshadweep and at a few places over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal.

There was rainfall at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, east Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Marathawada, Gujarat, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema and coastal and south-interior Karnataka, the IMD said, adding heavy downpour was recorded at isolated places of some states in the north-eastern part of the country.

In Delhi, it was a warm day as the maximum temperature settled at 36.1 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average. The minimum temperature was recorded at 22.4 degrees Celsius, a notch below the normal.

Humidity levels remained between 82 per cent and 39 per cent.

The weatherman forecast mainly clear skies for Tuesday. The maximum and the minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 36 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius, respectively, the Met said.

Sultry weather conditions prevailed in Haryana and Punjab. Chandigarh recorded a maximum temperature of 34.3 degrees Celsius, one notch above the normal.

In Haryana, Narnaul experienced a hot day at 38.4 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal, while Hisar registered a high of 37 degrees Celsius.

Bhiwani, Ambala and Karnal recorded respective above normal maximums of 37.2 degrees Celsius, 34.8 degrees Celsius and 34 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a maximum of 34.3 degrees Celsius. Patiala recorded a high of 35.6 degrees Celsius, up three notches against normal limits, while Ludhiana's maximum settled at 35.2 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.

While the monsoon was retreating from parts of north India, other parts of the country will continue to receive rainfall, the IMD said.

A trough runs from a cyclonic circulation over east Bihar to west-central Bay of Bengal, off Andhra Pradesh coast across Gangetic West Bengal and coastal Odisha, it said.

Under the influence of this system, scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with moderate thunderstorm and lightning are very likely over south peninsular India during the next three days, it added.

Isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Tamil Nadu during the next two days, the IMD said.

According to the weather department, monsoon is set to end on an above-normal note. Until September 27, the country had received nine per cent more rainfall than the normal, it added.