Monsoon withdrawal advances Saturday: Rain expected in south, northeast

The southwest monsoon is set to withdraw further from parts of north and central India, while rain and thunderstorms continue over several parts of the south and northeast on October 3, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast issued on October 2.

The IMD said conditions are likely to become favourable for further withdrawal from the remaining parts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, most parts of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and the entire Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the next 24 hours. Commuters make their way through a waterlogged road after heavy rain, in Bengaluru. (Photo: PTI)

Some parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra are also likely to see the monsoon pull back.RAIN, THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTH AND EAST

For October 3, isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over Arunachal Pradesh.

The IMD has also forecast thunderstorms with lightning over Assam and Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura.

Parts of southern India will remain active as well.

Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal may see isolated thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph. A satellite image shows the weather systems over the Indian subcontinent. (Photo: IMD)

Similar thunderstorms, with winds of 30-40 kmph, are possible at isolated places over Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Mahe, Lakshadweep, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

Strong surface winds are also likely at isolated places over Andhra Pradesh, while hot and humid conditions are expected at isolated places over Konkan and Goa.

The rainfall forecast indicates fairly widespread rain over Kerala and Lakshadweep on October 3, while coastal parts of Karnataka are also expected to receive fairly widespread rainfall.

Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, as well as South Interior Karnataka, are likely to see isolated rain.Rain in Thiruvananthapuram , Kerala pic.twitter.com/1maqi2Pgkz— Paresh Kataria (@pareshkatariaa) October 2, 2026MONSOON WITHDRAWAL ENTERS NEW PHASE

The withdrawal of the southwest monsoon is the key large-scale development as October begins.

The withdrawal line on October 2 extended from Gurdaspur through Chandigarh, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh, Dholpur, Udaipur, Deesa and Naliya.

The IMD said the monsoon is likely to retreat further over the next 24 hours, marking a continuing transition towards the post-monsoon period. Commuters make their way through a waterlogged Mysore Road following heavy rain, in Bengaluru. (Photo: PTI)

At the same time, several weather systems and circulations remain active over the northeast, Arabian Sea and southern peninsula, helping sustain rainfall over parts of these regions.

Recent observations also show that rainfall remains concentrated mainly in the south, northeast and parts of eastern India, while much of the rest of the country has remained dry.- Ends