Dry Weather Week For Delhi: Monsoon Retreat Draws Closer

Key Takeaways:

• Delhi has received 74.7 mm of rain in September against the monthly normal of 128 mm, with no rainfall recorded during the last week.
• Day temperatures have frequently remained above 35°C, and the maximum may again cross 36°C today.
• Monsoon withdrawal from Delhi is likely around its normal date of 25th September, although the wind pattern could temporarily oppose the retreat.
• A Bay of Bengal weather system and a nearby convergence zone may offer a distant chance of a light sprinkle between 24th and 26th September.
• Forecast Validity: Next 5 to 7 days.

Delhi has not recorded any rainfall during the last one week. The last spell of light rain, with 3.4 mm of rainfall, was registered on 13th September 2026. The total rainfall for the month stands at 74.7 mm against the monthly normal of 128 mm. The capital city is unlikely to catch up with the monthly normal as the monsoon withdrawal draws closer. Temperatures have generally remained above normal and have frequently stayed above 35°C. The maximum temperature in the month so far was 36.6°C, recorded on 10th September 2026. Today, the day maximum may again exceed 36°C.

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The monsoon has started withdrawing from the extreme western parts of Rajasthan. Conditions are favourable for further withdrawal from more parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. The normal date of monsoon retreat from Delhi is 25th September, and the withdrawal is likely around the due date. Most conditions will fall into place, favouring withdrawal, except for the wind pattern. Courtesy of the weather system over the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to strengthen and move inland, the reversal of the wind pattern may face some opposition. Also, the long streak of the convergence zone, the meeting place of easterly and westerly winds, may come close to Delhi between 24th and 26th September 2026. Scattered patches of clouds, embedded with raindrops, are supporting a distant chance of a light sprinkle in the neighbourhood.

Monsoon withdrawal from Delhi has invariably been getting delayed, except last year. In 2025, the withdrawal of the monsoon was on 24th September, the earliest since 2002. The retreat of the monsoon rolled over into October in 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024. The most delayed withdrawal among these years was on 17th October in 2013. The withdrawal from the country, which is normally complete by 15th October, was also delayed that year. The contributing factor was the strike by Cyclone Phailin, which made landfall in Odisha on 12th October 2013. Lingering atmospheric changes due to the storm delayed the retreat from the western and central parts of the country. A cyclone threat remains this year too for the East Coast during this week, but an extended delay in the withdrawal of the monsoon from Delhi is unlikely.