Southwest monsoon has withdrawn from 45% of Maha

The monsoon has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride this year, right from its delayed arrival in Pune on June 25, to its inability to penetrate the interiors of Maharashtra due to which many parts of the state did not receive good rainfall

PUNE: In a break from the delayed withdrawal of the past two years, the southwest monsoon has withdrawn from Pune three days before its usual date of October 9. India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials on Friday said that the southwest monsoon has withdrawn from 45% of Maharashtra, including Pune. The last two years had seen the monsoon withdrawing from Maharashtra after October 20.

This year, the monsoon began withdrawing from west Rajasthan on September 25 as against its normal date of September 15. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

This year, the monsoon began withdrawing from west Rajasthan on September 25 as against its normal date of September 15. Since then, the withdrawal journey has advanced rapidly across the country. Hence, while the monsoon’s withdrawal from Maharashtra (including Pune) was forecast around October 8 to 10, it began its withdrawal from these parts three days in advance.

The monsoon has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride this year, right from its delayed arrival in Pune on June 25, to its inability to penetrate the interiors of Maharashtra due to which many parts of the state did not receive good rainfall, to active monsoon conditions in most parts of the state in July and September which resulted in good rainfall and significant reduction in the rainfall deficit caused by the month-long monsoon break phase.

This monsoon – which officially ended on September 30 – both Maharashtra and the Pune district have recorded ‘normal category’ rainfall with 4% and 10% deficit, respectively. Pune city (Shivajinagar) recorded a nearly 26% rainfall deficit, with 44 rainy days and 446.2 mm of rainfall in the cumulative period between June 1 and September 30.

Anupam Kashyapi, head of the weather forecasting division, IMD Pune, said, “On Friday, the southwest monsoon withdrew from all three major cities of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. The withdrawal line in the state passes through ‘Nagpur-Pune-Alibaug’. The withdrawal occurred from 45% of the state; the monsoon will withdraw from the rest of the state in the next four to five days. Dry weather is likely in Pune.” According to the IMD, Pune and Maharashtra are likely to experience ‘above normal’ temperatures in October.