Monsoon may start retreating from northwest India by September 25: IMD

The southwest monsoon is likely to begin its retreat from northwest India around September 25 the India Meteorological Department IMD said on FridayTypically the southwest monsoon makes its onset over Kerala by June 1 and covers the entire country by July 8 It starts retreating from northwest India around September 17 withdrawing entirely by October 15Reduced rainfall activity is expected to continue over northwest and adjoining westcentral India for the next five days Conditions are becoming favourable for the southwest monsoon to withdraw from parts of west Rajasthan around September 25 the IMD saidThe withdrawal of the monsoon from northwest India marks the beginning of its retreat from the Indian subcontinent Any delay in the monsoons retreat means a longer rainy season which can significantly impact agricultural production particularly for northwest India where monsoon rainfall plays a crucial role in the Rabi crop productionIndia has received 7803 mm of rain during this monsoon season so far compared to a normal of 8324 mmRainfall between 94 per cent and 106 per cent of the longperiod average LPA is considered normalNormally the country receives an average of 870 mm of precipitation during the fourmonth monsoon season June to SeptemberIn a premonsoon briefing the IMD had predicted a normal monsoon for India albeit on the lower side of normal It had however cautioned that El Nino warming of waters in the Pacific Ocean near South America might influence the latter half of the southwest monsoonEl Nino conditions are associated with weaker monsoon winds and drier conditions in IndiaIndia experienced a rainfall deficit in June but saw excessive precipitation in July due to consecutive western disturbances over northwest India and a favourable phase of the MaddenJulian Oscillation MJO known for increasing convection in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian SeaMJO is a largescale atmospheric disturbance originating in tropical Africa and travelling eastward typically lasting 30 to 60 daysAugust 2023 marked the driest month since 1901 and the hottest ever recorded in India attributed to the strengthening of El Nino conditions However September brought an excess of rain due to multiple lowpressure systems and the positive phase of MJOThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever