E-Paper
Southwest monsoon withdraws from Maharashtra
S.D. Sanap, senior meteorologist at IMD Pune, said that although the southwest monsoon has officially withdrawn from Maharashtra
The southwest monsoon completely withdrew from remaining parts of Maharashtra by Monday, three days later than its normal withdrawal date of October 10. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light rainfall in parts of Maharashtra from October 14 onwards, with Pune district likely to experience light showers on October 15 and 16.
S.D. Sanap, senior meteorologist at IMD Pune, said that although the southwest monsoon has officially withdrawn from Maharashtra and no major weather systems are currently active, certain atmospheric conditions remain favourable for rain.
“There is a moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal which, combined with rising temperatures, is likely to trigger rainfall activity in isolated areas,” Sanap said, adding that Pune may also experience scattered light to moderate showers during this period.
After advancing early by three days from Rajasthan, the monsoon withdrawal process stalled for around 15 days between September 24 and October 9 due to the formation of Cyclone Shakti in the Arabian Sea and another low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal. The withdrawal resumed on October 9 from parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Within the next 24 hours, the monsoon withdrew from nearly 34% of Maharashtra by October 10.
The process slowed again for two days before completing on October 13, when the southwest monsoon withdrew from almost the entire state, except a few areas in Gadchiroli district.
According to IMD, the current line of withdrawal passes through 14°N/72°E, Karwar, Kalaburagi, Nizamabad, Kanker, Keonjhargarh, Sagar Island, Guwahati, and 28.0°N/92.5°E.
The department reported that the monsoon has now withdrawn from several regions, including parts of Karnataka and Telangana; most of Maharashtra; the entire states of Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Sikkim; as well as most of Chhattisgarh and the remaining parts of Bihar. It has also receded from portions of Odisha and the northeastern states.
The IMD added that conditions remain favourable for the complete withdrawal of the monsoon from the remaining parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and the northeastern region over the next two to three days.
Meanwhile, the colour-coded forecast issued by the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Mumbai, on October 13 indicated the possibility of rainfall across several parts of Maharashtra between October 14 and 16.
