New Delhi, Sept. 15 -- The withdrawal of the southwest monsoon is expected to commence by the end of this week - from September 19 onwards, with the all-India monsoon deficit currently standing at -15%, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday, noting that the current monsoon was severely impacted by a strengthening El Nino, leaving several districts in the western, southern and northeastern part of the country in a rainfall deficit, which is unlikely to be bridged back. The retreat of the monsoon commences from west Rajasthan from around September 19, where the normal date of withdrawal is September 17. Last year, the withdrawal began as early as September 14. However, Met officials said several parts of the country should see a flurry of rain activity this week, particularly in the west, northwest and parts of the south peninsular region. It said a low pressure area exists over southwest Madhya Pradesh, southeast Rajasthan and north Gujarat; a trough across Jharkhand, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and MP, while an upper air cyclonic circulation was over Bay of Bengal, near Odisha and West Bengal. "Conditions are becoming favourable for withdrawal of Southwest Monsoon from some parts of West Rajasthan around September, 19, 2026," the IMD said in a statement, forecasting fairly widespread rains over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad from September 15-17; across Punjab, Haryana and Delhi on 16 and 17; isolated activity across west and east Rajasthan from September 15-17. Isolated scattered rains are also likely across Uttar Pradesh till September 18, it said. Down south, Isolated heavy spells are likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal till September; over Kerala and Mahe till September 16, over south Karnataka on September 15 and along coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from September 18-20. In central India, isolated showers are expected over Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Vidharbha till September 20....