Monsoon withdrawal advances across north India as rain continues in south and northeast
The IMD expects the southwest monsoon to retreat further from north and central India on October 3, while rain and thunderstorms remain active elsewhere.
The southwest monsoon is expected to withdraw further from parts of north and central India on October 3, even as rain and thunderstorms remain active across several southern and northeastern regions, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The weather agency said conditions are likely to become favourable for the monsoon to retreat from the remaining parts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, most of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, as well as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra may also witness further withdrawal.
Meanwhile, weather activity is expected to remain concentrated over the northeast and southern peninsula. Isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Arunachal Pradesh, while thunderstorms accompanied by lightning may occur across Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.
Southern India will continue to see unsettled weather. Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal may receive isolated thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph. Thunderstorms with winds of 30-40 kmph are also possible at isolated locations in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Mahe, Lakshadweep, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.
The IMD expects fairly widespread rainfall over Kerala and Lakshadweep, while coastal Karnataka may also receive widespread rain. Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and South Interior Karnataka are likely to see isolated rainfall.
The monsoon withdrawal line on October 2 extended from Gurdaspur through Chandigarh, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh, Dholpur, Udaipur, Deesa and Naliya. Its further movement signals the continuing transition towards the post-monsoon season.
However, active weather systems over the northeast, Arabian Sea and southern peninsula are still supporting rainfall in several areas. So while much of the country heads towards drier conditions, parts of the south and northeast are clearly not ready to let the monsoon leave quietly.
