The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that the Southwest Monsoon officially withdrew from the entire country on Tuesday, 15 October 2024. At the same time, the Northeast Monsoon rainfall activity commenced over South Peninsular India.
Speaking at a virtual press conference, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra revealed that the monsoon season saw a notable increase in rainfall, largely due to an uptick in low-pressure systems in August and September. This resulted in 8% more rainfall than usual for the 2024 season.
India received a total of 934.8 mm of rainfall, surpassing the normal 868.6 mm – the highest recorded since 2020. Approximately 35% of the country experienced ‘excess rainfall,’ while 54% saw ‘normal’ levels. The monthly breakdown shows that June had 89% of its average rainfall, July recorded 9% more than usual, August saw a 15% increase and September ended 12% above normal.
As of the morning of 15 October, Gujarat completed 140.60% of its average monsoon rainfall for the season. The state received about 1,241.46 mm of rain, significantly higher than the average of 883 mm, based on data from 1994-2023. South Gujarat registered the highest rainfall with 2,176.17 mm, followed by Saurashtra with 1,121.99 mm and East Central Gujarat with 1,088.50 mm. Meanwhile, Kutch and North Gujarat recorded average rainfall levels of 908.00 mm and 843.14 mm, respectively.
Typically, the monsoon begins retreating from northwest India around 17 September and withdraws from Gujarat by 5 October. This year, however, after retreating from most parts of the state by 4 October, it officially exited the entire state – and the country – on 15 October.
