New Delhi, Oct 2 — The monsoon is expected to withdraw from the plains of North India, including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, within the next 48 hours. However, the withdrawal is likely to be accompanied by another spell of rainfall in several parts of the country.
According to the Meteorological Department, rainfall is likely in Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab on October 6 and 7. Heavy rainfall is expected in Himachal Pradesh from October 5 to 7, Jammu and Kashmir from October 6 to 7, and Uttarakhand from October 5 to 7. Thunderstorms and gusty winds are also likely over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during this period.
Rainfall is expected to continue over Madhya Pradesh until October 3, while Chhattisgarh is likely to receive rain from October 2 to 7. Bihar and Jharkhand may also witness rainfall between October 5 and 7.
In the Northeast, monsoon activity has persisted around Imphal, the capital of Manipur. Rainfall is expected to continue in Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. Overall, rainfall activity is likely to remain subdued across most parts of the country between October 1 and 7.
However, isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and parts of the Northeast. Rainfall activity is expected to decline further during the second week of October. A fresh low-pressure area may, however, develop over the Andaman Sea around October 13.
The Meteorological Department has said the monsoon is likely to completely withdraw from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and the remaining parts of Haryana during the first week of October. Between October 8 and 14, the monsoon is expected to withdraw from Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and the northeastern region as well.
Following the withdrawal from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in the first week of October, monsoon activity is also expected to end over Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat by the second week.
The department has forecast post-monsoon rainfall between October and December. During these three months, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Rayalaseema, Kerala and Mahe, and south interior Karnataka are expected to receive rainfall. Overall rainfall during the post-monsoon season is most likely to remain between 88 and 112 per cent of the long-period average.
Except for the southern peninsula and parts of northwest India, most parts of the country are expected to receive below-normal rainfall during the post-monsoon period.
The four-month southwest monsoon season from June to September recorded average rainfall of around 87 per cent, which is below normal. The season witnessed spells of heavy rainfall interspersed with periods of deficient rainfall.
Central India, including Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, received around 97 per cent of its normal rainfall, while northwest India, including Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, recorded around 94 per cent. In comparison, the southern peninsula and Northeast India received only around 76 per cent and 74 per cent of their normal rainfall, respectively.
The rainfall figures could have been lower without the heavy showers recorded during August and September. A deep depression that formed over Andhra Pradesh in late September brought significant rainfall to several regions, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, as well as Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Between September 24 and 27, heavy rainfall was recorded in several areas of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. On September 28, another deep depression formed over the Andaman Sea and adjoining Myanmar coast, contributing to continued rainfall activity in parts of the country.