Monsoon withdrawal might be staggered and slower this year, says IMD

IMD accepted that actual rainfall in July and August was outside its forecast as the spread of low-pressure areas was uneven, though the total quantum was lower than last year

After pounding the country with surplus rain in August, the southwest monsoon will not go away in a hurry. 

Though the withdrawal may start from western Rajasthan – from the second week of this month – rain may continue in other parts of India.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), this is due to the emergence of fresh low-pressure areas (LPAs) over the Bay of Bengal. They will cause fairly widespread rain over the western parts of India. This will slow down the process of monsoon’s withdrawal from India.

Usually, the southwest monsoon starts withdrawing from western Rajasthan from