MUMBAI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday declared withdrawal of south-west monsoon over Mumbai, the rest of Maharashtra and the country. This year saw the most delayed monsoon over Mumbai since the IMD began maintaining its record in 1975.
“In view of significant reduction in rainfall activity over most parts of the country, the Southwest monsoon has withdrawn from the entire country. Simultaneously..., the northeast monsoon rain has commenced over extreme south peninsular India today [Wednesday]. Dry weather is expected over rest of the country during next four to five days,” said KS Hosalikar, deputy director general, western region, IMD.
Before this year, the most delayed withdrawal of monsoon from Mumbai was recorded in 2010 when the season ended on October 26. In 2019, monsoon withdrawal over Mumbai was declared on October 14. The delayed monsoon this year has been attributed to the presence of the La Niña weather pattern which brings increased rain activity. The revised monsoon onset date for Mumbai is June 11 and the new withdrawal date was October 8.
In 2010, southwest monsoon had withdrawn from the entire country on October 29, followed by 2016, when it withdrew on October 28. This makes 2020 and 2016 the most delayed withdrawals in a decade, and monsoons of 2010, 2016 and 2020 mark the most delayed exits from India in the past 45 years, since 1975.
Through the season, the IMD’s Santacruz observatory, representative of Mumbai received 3,857.1 mm of rainfall between June 1 and October 28. In the official monsoon months the city recorded 3,687mm rainfall, the second highest since 1944.
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