Rains likely to continue till mid-October as monsoon withdrawal stalled: Skymet’s GP Sharma

The southwest monsoon, which was officially expected to end by September 30, is showing no signs of a quick retreat. According to GP Sharma, President of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet, the withdrawal has stalled and rains are likely to continue well into October.

“Officially the monsoon season has ended well, no doubt. A very, very special monsoon. After a long time, we had all the four months ending up with more than average rainfall,” Sharma told CNBC-TV18. He added that this rare occurrence was last seen in 2007 and has happened only four times in the last 75 years.

While parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have already seen a formal withdrawal, Sharma said active weather systems and disturbances from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans are keeping rainfall activity alive. “I think it doesn’t end so soon. Possibly for the next 10 days or so it will continue, and then the withdrawal will resume,” he said.

Sharma warned that states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and even hilly regions could continue to see spells of rain. He expressed concern over Uttarakhand, which has already faced multiple cloudbursts this season.

The meteorologist also pointed out that the northeast monsoon is due by mid to late October. “Monsoon withdrawal that had started earlier will now get stalled. It will have a long pause, and possibly will not resume before October 10th,” he noted.

On La Niña, Sharma said the phenomenon is setting in but will be weak and short-lived. “La Niña is coming in October itself, and possibly it will last through November, December and January, before easing out again,” he said. He added that India is likely to see below normal temperatures this winter, with Mumbai also expected to feel the chill in January.

Watch accompanying video for entire conversation.