Thick clouds covered most of Bay of Bengal and also enveloped the eastern coastal states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal from Kakinada to Haldia as a low-pressure area buzzed in the background. | Photo Credit: www.windy.com

The south-west monsoon appears to be making a swift exit from North-West India even as the Bay of Bengal moves in the opposite direction, rapidly intensifying into a stormy zone with the potential to unleash heavy to extremely heavy rain along the east coast and across the southern peninsula later this week.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday that the monsoon had withdrawn from more parts of Rajasthan and adjoining areas of Haryana and Punjab. The withdrawal line now runs through Jaisalmer; Nagaur; Sikar; Rohtak; Patiala; and Gurdaspur. Conditions are favourable for further withdrawal over the next 2-3 days from the remaining parts of Punjab; Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi; more areas of Rajasthan; some parts of Saurashtra and Kutch; Jammu and Kashmir; Himachal Pradesh; Uttarakhand; and West Uttar Pradesh.

This rapid drying-out of the north-west is being sharply contrasted by a gathering weather system over the Bay. A low-pressure area has already strengthened into a well-marked system, and may intensify further into a depression and possibly a deep depression as it tracks towards the north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coast.

The system could generate squally winds of 55-65 km/hr, gusting to 75 km/hr, over west-central and adjoining north-west Bay on Wednesday. Such conditions could persist until Thursday evening. Winds along and off the south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coast could also reach 55-65 km/hr during this period. Sea conditions could turn rough to very rough over the east-central and adjoining north-east Bay on Monday; central Bay on Tuesday; and west-central and adjoining north-west Bay off north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha-West Bengal coasts.

A deep depression is the second-highest intensity category for a low-pressure system, ranking just below a cyclone. Through Sunday, the building system produced a broad spell of heavy rain across the southern and central parts of the country. Till Monday morning, isolated locations in Tamil Nadu received extremely heavy rain, while Kerala recorded very heavy rain. Heavy rain was also reported from Chhattisgarh, Saurashtra, North Interior Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and Telangana.

The IMD has forecast isolated extremely heavy rain over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Wednesday and Thursday, and over Coastal Karnataka on Thursday. Very heavy rain is also likely over Coastal Karnataka and North Interior Karnataka on Wednesday; South Interior Karnataka on Wednesday and Thursday; Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Tuesday; and Telangana from Wednesday for three days.

Published on September 21, 2026