New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- The Southwest Monsoon withdrew from Delhi on Wednesday after an 83-day stay, its shortest spell over the capital in 14 years, even as the city recorded 16 per cent more rainfall than normal, the India Meteorological Department said.
The monsoon remained over the capital from July 2 to September 23, two days ahead of its normal withdrawal date of September 25. It arrived five days later than the normal onset date of June 27, marking Delhi's first July onset since 2021.
The spell was shorter than in recent years, lasting 87 days in 2025, 96 days in 2024 and 97 days in 2023. The last shorter spell was recorded in 2012, when the monsoon stayed for 80 days.
Despite the shorter duration, Delhi received above-normal rainfall. Safdarjung recorded 728.6 mm between June 1 and September 23, against the normal 629.7 mm, an excess of 16 per cent. An IMD official said that no major rainfall record was broken, noting that the city had received more than 900 mm in each of the previous two years.
Rainfall was particularly heavy in August, when Safdarjung recorded 354.1 mm, 59 per cent above normal. On August 25, it received 99.1 mm in 24 hours, its highest August daily rainfall in two years.
September was considerably drier, with 74.7 mm recorded till September 23 and only three rainy days.
The monsoon also withdrew from most parts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, and some areas of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Since 1961, Delhi's earliest withdrawal was on September 3 in 1982, while the latest was October 17 in 2013.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.