The Southwest Monsoon will most likely withdraw completely from the country on October 20, the India Meteorological Department said Friday.

 

The Southwest Monsoon officially starts on June 1 and ends on September 30. Its withdrawal starts from western Rajasthan from September 1.

The official withdrawal date for the monsoon is September 30. However, monsoon continues to linger on in parts of the country. It takes more than a fortnight for the monsoon to completely withdraw from the country.

What precedes Southwest Monsoon is the Northeast Monsoon that gives rain to several parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.

"Southwest Monsoon has fully not withdrawn from the country. We expect monsoon to withdraw completely from the country on October 20," Sathi Devi, head of the National Weather Forecasting Centre of the IMD, said.

The Southwest Monsoon is the lifeline of the country that not only aids agriculture, the prime contributor to the GDP, but has a far reaching impact on the economy.

This year, the country received rainfall 91 per cent of Long Period Average, which falls under the "below normal" category. The east and northeast India, including Bihar, West Bengal and northeastern states witnessed maximum rainfall deficiency.

On the other hand, Kerala witnessed unprecedented rainfall and subsequent flooding. -- PTI