India, Sept. 23 -- The Southwest Monsoon has withdrawn from Delhi on Wednesday, September 23, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) says. This is the earliest withdrawal of the monsoon from Delhi since 2002, when it retreated on September 20.

The monsoon has also withdrawn from most parts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, along with parts of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

The IMD said the monsoon's withdrawal line now passes through Gurdaspur, Chandigarh, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh, Dholpur, Udaipur, Deesa and Naliya, among other places.

Now, drier weather is expected to gradually set in across Delhi and other parts of northwestern India as the monsoon moves further away.

Monsoon withdrawal does not mean that rain immediately stops everyw...