"Southeast monsoon started withdrawing from Sept 25": IMD Director General

"Southeast monsoon has started withdrawing from September 25 onwards from some parts of Rajasthan and now conditions are favourable for further withdrawal from the northeast and other areas of the country in the next 2-3 days," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Wednesday.

Talking to ANI, Mohapatra informed that there was a delay of about 8 days in the withdrawal of the southeast monsoon.

"There has been a delay of about 8 days as the normal date of withdrawal commencement is September 17. However now the rainfall is decreasing over those parts of the country and conditions are been favourable for withdrawal," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the conditions are becoming favourable for further withdrawal of southwest monsoon from some more parts of northwest and adjoining western India in the next two to three days.

Southwest Monsoon hit India on June 8 with its onset over Kerala, a week after the normal date of June 1. Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on June 1 with a standard deviation of about seven days.

Monsoon is crucial, especially for kharif crops dependent on rains.

India has three cropping seasons -- summer, Kharif and Rabi. Crops sown during June-July and harvested in October-November are kharif.

Since June 1, total rainfall in India has been 6 per cent lower at 805.3 mm against the normal of 853.4, IMD data showed.

India is divided into four meteorological sub-divisions. East and Northeast India saw 18 per cent lower rainfall, South Peninsula 9 per cent. Northwest India witnessed 2 per cent higher rainfall, while rains in Central India were largely steady.

Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar recorded excess rainfall this monsoon, registering 43 per cent, 20 per cent, and 48 per cent higher year-on-year.

Manipur, Mizoram, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Kerala recorded deficit rainfall.

Meanwhile, IMD said light to moderate fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Tamil Nadu during Tuesday-Saturday; Coastal Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday and Saturday; Coastal Karnataka and Kerala during Thursday-Saturday; Interior Karnataka on Friday and Saturday.

In West India, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall and thunderstorm along with lightning is very likely over Konkan and Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra from Tuesday to Friday. Isolated very heavy rainfall is very likely over Konkan and Goa on Thursday.

In Central India, rainfall and thunderstorm along with lightning with isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Chhattisgarh on Saturday.

For the rest of the country, no significant weather phenomenon is expected. (ANI)