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New Delhi, Sept. 23 (PTI): The southwest monsoon that accounts for more than 70 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall is set to withdraw from northern and parts of western India in the next 48 hours.
The monsoon has brought bountiful showers since August in a late rally that has cheered millions of farmers.
This will be the seventh straight year when the withdrawal, which normally begins in the first week of September, has been delayed to the third week of the month.
Data released by the India Meteorological Department last Friday showed that rainfall was just five per cent less than normal till now, as against 31 per cent in June.
According to a bulletin released by the weather department this afternoon, “conditions have become favourable for withdrawal of southwest monsoon from parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Kutch during the next 48 hours”.
The country as a whole has received 798.3 mm rainfall between June 1 and September 21 as against the normal of 843.1 mm for the period.
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