The India Meteorological Department announced on Saturday that the southwest monsoon has withdrawn from much of north and central India, with formal withdrawals recorded for Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Active weather systems will keep the southern peninsula and the Northeast wet. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam will see isolated heavy rain and thunderstorms over the next few days.

The IMD forecasts a short, transient spell of rain and thunderstorms for parts of northwest India and the western Himalaya between October 5 and 7, which may briefly cool daytime temperatures there.

The 2026 monsoon ended with a national shortfall of about 10 to 13 per cent, with sharp regional contrasts partly blamed on a strengthening El Nino in the Pacific.

Clear skies and rising heat are already prompting water-planning measures in Mumbai, while several districts in Madhya Pradesh face water stress. With October forecast drier and warmer than normal, the retreat's early timing matters for both water planners and farmers.