Monsoon withdrawal likely this week, heat to continue

With the withdrawal of southwest monsoon likely this week, Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) will continue to see clear skies and no rain ahead. The India Meteorological Department on Sunday said parts of Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan have favourable conditions for the withdrawal to take place within the next 24 hours.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

“Conditions are becoming favourable for further withdrawal of southwest monsoon from some more parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab; some parts of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours..” the IMD said in its weather bulletin on Sunday evening.

Delhi is currently experiencing dry, northwesterly-westerly winds and saw the last spell of rain on September 18 and 19, at 52mm over the two days. The city typically sees withdrawal from September 25.

“After an initial flurry, it has been a relatively dry September with westerly winds being recorded. This leads to dry weather and this wind direction persists when the monsoon withdraws,” said an IMD official.

While the Met department did not specify the exact day of the withdrawal, experts said it should occur in Delhi-NCR within the next three to four days.