Delhi is likely to see partly cloudy skies with no rain on Friday as the southwest monsoon enters its withdrawal phase over northwest India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a minimum temperature of 22-24 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 33-35 degrees Celsius for the national capital on September 18.

The IMD’s district-level forecast indicates partly cloudy conditions across Delhi-NCR on Friday, with the same conditions likely to continue through September 20. The weather is expected to become mainly clear from September 21.

Monsoon withdrawal approaches

The southwest monsoon is likely to begin withdrawing from some parts of western Rajasthan around September 19, according to the IMD. The normal date for the start of withdrawal from northwest India is September 17.

The IMD said conditions were becoming favourable for the retreat as a low-pressure area over Saurashtra and adjoining the northeast Arabian Sea persisted on September 17. The monsoon trough was extending from the system across Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand towards the northeast Bay of Bengal.

Heavy rain across several states

On Friday, isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bihar, eastern Rajasthan, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Odisha, parts of West Bengal and Sikkim, and Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, according to the IMD.

Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph are also likely at isolated places in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Konkan and Goa, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal and Sikkim.

Rainfall activity is expected to continue in parts of central, eastern and southern India over the coming days. The IMD has forecast widespread rainfall over Chhattisgarh from September 18-23, while Kerala, and Lakshadweep are expected to see fairly widespread rainfall through September 23.