Image: Skymetweather.com/Canva
The Southwest Monsoon 2025 commenced its withdrawal slightly earlier than normal from the farthest parts of the country. By 25th September 2025, the monsoon had retreated from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, and the mountainous states of North India. It had also begun to withdraw from some parts of Madhya Pradesh. However, there has been a long pause since then, and further withdrawal is awaited anytime soon.
Earlier, the Bay of Bengal (BoB) remained an active basin during the last days of September and the beginning of October. Courtesy of several storms developing over the West Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, their remnants travelled across Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar before emerging over the BoB. The rains reached even those areas from where the monsoon had already withdrawn earlier. Most parts of North India, including the mountainous states, experienced intense weather activity, which led to overflowing water bodies, localized flooding, and calamitous weather conditions in the hills. As a result, the further withdrawal of the monsoon was stalled and is yet to resume.
Between 1st and 8th October 2025, most parts of the country witnessed excess rainfall. The exceptions were few, such as the South Peninsula and the interior regions of Maharashtra. Out of the four homogeneous regions of the country, three recorded heavy to very heavy rainfall. Northwest India recorded an excess of 450% during this period. Even the surpluses of 63% and 49% over East & Northeast India and Central India, respectively, looked small in comparison to North India. However, the South Peninsula had a deficit of 38% during the first eight days of October 2025. Overall, the country recorded 28.3 mm of rainfall against the normal of 45.2 mm — an excess of 60%, one of the highest on record for this period.
Weather conditions have improved since then. Activity has receded from the northern, western, central, and eastern parts of the country. The Northeast region is also likely to become fairer within a few days. Whatever activity persists over the coastal and southern parts in the coming days may be construed as a precursor to the likely arrival of the Northeast Monsoon. Most other parts of the country will experience a ‘break,’ followed by a complete cessation of any significant weather activity during October 2025.
