Rainfall unlikely in north India ahead of monsoon withdrawal; max temp to remain above normal

The rainfall activity is likely to remain subdued and the maximum temperature above normal in parts of north and northwest India as the complete withdrawal of the Southwest Monsoon draws closer, weather forecasting agencies said Friday.

Large parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi received no rainfall on Friday, according to the daily report of the India Meteorology Department.

Private forecaster Skymet Weather said monsoon withdrawal looks imminent from October 1 from west Rajasthan. It said the withdrawal from a large part of north India will be completed by October 7 and from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh will follow soon.

Delhi's dry spell continued for the 17th day amid a humid weather. Humidity was recorded at 79 per cent in the morning which reduced to 47 per cent by the evening and the maximum temperature was 37.4 degrees celsius, three notches above normal.

The IMD has said any monsoon rainfall in the national capital is unlikely now. In the absence of rain, the mercury is likely to rise by a few notches over the next few days, it added.

Delhi has recorded only three rainy days this September, the lowest since 2016, when it witnessed two rainy days. The last time the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded any rainfall this month was on September 8 (1.3 mm).

The maximum temperature in Haryana and Punjab too hovered above normal. Narnaul in Haryana recorded a high of 39.5 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal, and Amritsar in Punjab recorded a high of 35.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.

However, parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and the Northeast received moderate-to-heavy rainfall on Friday under the influence of a low-pressure area. The intensity is likely to reduce from Saturday, according to an IMD forecast.

In the last 24 hours, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya has been the rainiest place in India with 424 mm of rainfall, Skymet said.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of IMD's regional forecasting centre, said the monsoon is likely to start withdrawing from Rajasthan on September 26. Thereafter, it will recede from Delhi, Haryana, west Uttar Pradesh simultaneously by September last week.

Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana may receive scattered rainfall on Saturday. The rainfall activity in Madhya Pradesh, which had been receiving rainfall for a few days threatening the standing crops, is likely to cease for a week, providing relief to farmers.

Heavy rains on Wednesday had led to waterlogging in several areas and brought the city to a standstill. There was a let-up in rains on Thursday and road and rail transport services resumed.

Mumbai's suburbs and the neighbouring Navi Mumbai had received over 100 mm rainfall in 24 hours.