The southwest monsoon has withdrawn from large parts of north and central India, the India Meteorological Department announced on Saturday. The retreat covers Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh, among other regions. The four-month season ended with rainfall about 87 percent of normal, a below-normal performance.

Central India fared best at 97 percent of normal, while the southern peninsula and the Northeast received only 76 and 74 percent respectively. Forecasters partly blame a strengthening El Nino in the Pacific. Attention now turns to the post-monsoon season: the IMD expects rainfall over Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana on October 6 and 7, and heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from October 5 to 7.

A low-pressure area may form over the Andaman Sea around October 13, which could bring rain to drought-hit southern regions. Clear skies are already pushing daytime heat up in Mumbai. The withdrawal line now runs south of Delhi, marking the end of the rainy season for the capital.