Southwest monsoon 2026 begins withdrawing from Gujarat

Ahmedabad: The southwest monsoon has started withdrawing from Gujarat, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicating that the withdrawal line has advanced through the Deesa and Naliya areas of Kutch as of September 24. The development marks the beginning of the seasonal transition towards drier conditions over the state, although isolated rainfall is expected to continue in parts of Gujarat over the coming days.

According to the IMD’s latest bulletin, the withdrawal line currently extends from 32.5°N/72.5°E through Gurdaspur, Chandigarh, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh, Dholpur, Udaipur, Deesa and Naliya to 23.0°N/67.8°E.

Despite the onset of the monsoon’s withdrawal, Gujarat is not expected to turn completely dry immediately. The IMD has forecast light to moderate rain or thundershowers at isolated places across several districts over the next few days. On Wednesday, rainfall was recorded at isolated places in South Gujarat and Saurashtra, while North Gujarat and Kutch remained dry.

The IMD has issued no heavy rainfall warning for Gujarat over the next seven days. Ahmedabad and neighbouring areas are expected to witness partly cloudy skies, with light rain or thundershowers likely during the next 24 hours.

The gradual withdrawal of the southwest monsoon signals the transition towards the post-monsoon season, with rainfall activity expected to become increasingly limited and temperatures likely to show greater day-to-day variation. DeshGujarat