Monsoon starts withdrawing from Rajasthan three days ahead of schedule

IMD confirms southwest monsoon withdrawal from parts of Rajasthan on September 14, three days early, with India recording 7% surplus rainfall and strong kharif sowing trends

The withdrawal of southwest monsoon started from some parts of West Rajasthan on Sunday, three days ahead of its forecasted scheduled on September 17, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

 

The MET department also said that conditions are becoming favourable for further withdrawal of southwest monsoon from some more parts of Rajasthan and some parts of Punjab and Gujarat during the next 2-3 days.

 

Though the withdrawal of the monsoon has started, most experts said that it does not signal an end of the monsoon season, which goes on till September 30.

 

The department also said that fresh spells of rain are expected over Himachal Pradesh, East UP and Uttarakhand between September 15-20. 

 

 

The IMD said it has considered the monsoon to have withdrawn from West Rajasthan as there is a development of an anti-cyclonic circulation at 1.5 kilometres above mean sea level. Besides this, there has been no rainfall over the region during the last consecutive five days and reduction in moisture content of the atmosphere over the region up to middle troposphere.

 

Meanwhile, data shows that from June 1 to September 13, India received around 840.3 millimetres of rainfall as against a normal of 784.3 millimetres, a surplus of almost 7 per cent.

 

Region-wise from June 1 to September 13, the southwest monsoon was around 20 per cent deficient in East and North-East India, around 32 per cent surplus in North-West India, around 11 per cent surplus in Central India and 7 per cent surplus over the Southern Peninsular India.

 

The good rains have spurred strong kharif sowing as well. Till September 5, kharif crops have been sown in around 110.54 million hectares, which was 2.5 per cent more than the area covered during the same period last year.

 

Paddy has been sown in around 43.82 million hectares of land, which is 4.7 per cent more than last year, while maize has been planted in around 9.46 million hectares, which is 12.2 per cent more than the area covered in the corresponding period last year.