New Delhi: The southwest monsoon withdrew from the entire country on Thursday, October 16, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Simultaneously, the northeast monsoon has commenced over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, south interior Karnataka, and Kerala-Mahe.

This year, the monsoon reached Kerala on May 24, its earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009, when it arrived on May 23. Over the four-month season that ended on September 30, India recorded 937.2 mm of rainfall, 8% above the normal of 868.6 mm.

However, the distribution was uneven across regions. Eastern and northeastern India recorded a 20% deficit with 1,089.9 mm of rainfall, while central India received 1,125.3 mm — 15.1% above normal. The southern peninsula saw a

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