Monsoon retreat delayed for second year in row

This is the second straight year that the retreat of monsoon has been delayed. Last year had also witnessed a prolonged monsoon season with September being extremely wet.

The Met department said the western Himalayan region,central and adjoining peninsular India and also the areas around the west coast were expected to receive widespread rainfall over the next week. Eastern India is also likely to receive rainfall in the first-half of the next week. Plains in northern and northwest India and the north-eastern states would have scattered rains during this time.

It said a low pressure area had developed over south Pakistan and adjoining southwest Rajasthan and Kutch region,while another low pressure area had formed over Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal.

Rainfall activity over northwest India is likely to decrease from September 17. “There is also some possibility of commencement of withdrawal of monsoon from parts of northwest India towards the end of the next week. Remaining parts will receive scattered to fairly widespread rainfall activity,” the Met department said.

Rainfall data from June 1,when the monsoon season begins,shows that up to September 7,32 of the 36 meteorological sub-divisions in the country had received normal or excess rainfall. This corresponds to about 91 per cent of the geographical area and 464 of the 603 administrative districts. The areas to have received deficient rainfall are mainly in the east and north-eastern parts of the country.