Delhi logs earliest monsoon withdrawal since 2002 after 88-day season

Delhi saw 902.6mm rain, 41% above normal, with showers on 71% of days despite short season; August was wettest in 15 years.

The southwest monsoon withdrew from Delhi a day before usual on Wednesday, marking the city’s earliest exit since 2002, when it retreated on September 20, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Last year, the withdrawal came much later on October 2.

IMD data shows city logged 41% surplus rainfall, highest in Central Delhi, with three heavy-rain days and August as wettest month since 2010. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

This year, the monsoon arrived in the Capital on June 29 and lasted 88 days – the ninth shortest duration since 2001, the earliest year for which comparable data is available, according to HT’s analysis. The last time Delhi saw a shorter stay was in 2012, when it lasted 81 days. To be sure, the season was equally long (88 days) as recently as 2021.

Yet a shorter season did not mean weaker rainfall. On the contrary, Delhi saw consistent rain this year, data shows. The city received precipitation on 63 of the 88 monsoon days – about 71% of the season, the fourth highest proportion since 2001. That made 2025 unusual: a relatively short season, but with far more rainy days.

Delhi logged excess rainfall this year. Safdarjung, the city’s base station, recorded 902.6mm – about 41% more than the normal 640.4mm. Last year, Delhi had logged 1,029.9mm of rain, its seventh wettest monsoon on record. Earlier seasons included 660.8mm in 2023, 516.9mm in 2022, and a whopping 1,169.7mm in 2021.

Across the Capital’s districts, the average stood at 736.2mm, a surplus of 37% over the normal 536.3mm. IMD treats rainfall between June and September as monsoon precipitation.

“The southwest monsoon has further withdrawn from the remaining parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi; some more parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan; and some parts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir on September 24,” said IMD in a statement on Wednesday.

The city has been on a wet run for months now. Delhi saw its wettest May ever, logging 186.4mm – over six times the normal 30.7mm. June brought 107.1mm, an excess of 45% over the long-period average (LPA) of 74.1mm. In July, 259.3mm was recorded, 24% above the LPA of 209.7mm.

Then August turned out to be the wettest in 15 years, with 400.1mm, a 72% surplus over the LPA of 233.1mm. September, too, has crossed the mark with 136.1mm against a normal of 123.5mm.

Overall, Delhi logged three heavy rainfall days this season – 68.1mm on July 29, 79mm on August 9, and 79.4mm on August 15.

Delhi logs earliest monsoon withdrawal since 2002 after 88-day season

Experts attributed the excess to active weather systems. “This year, we had the monsoon trough persisting close to Delhi. This meant even without heavy rainfall spells, we had consistent light to moderate rain,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet.

According to IMD data, Central Delhi district saw the most rain at nearly 950mm against a normal of 656.8mm. South Delhi, in contrast, recorded the least at 550.3mm, still close to its normal of 656.8mm. None of the districts recorded a deficit.

With the monsoon gone, dry northwesterly winds have been blowing since September 20, bringing warmer days and nights. On Wednesday, Delhi’s maximum was 35.4°C, a degree above normal, and is expected to stay between 35-37°C through Sunday. The minimum settled at 24°C and is forecast between 23-25°C.

Meanwhile, the city’s air quality remained in the “moderate” category. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was 120 on Wednesday, marginally better than Tuesday’s 126.