New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS): Conditions would be favourable for commencement of withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from October 6, after a delay of almost three weeks, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

A depression over northeast Arabian Sea has been moving westward, away from the Indian coast, and the Numerical Weather Prediction models consensus indicate establishment of westerly and northwesterly winds at lower and middle tropospheric levels over northwest India and development of anti-cyclonic circulation at lower level over the region from October 5.

"Under its influence, drastic reduction in moisture and absence of rainfall over extreme northwestern parts of India is very likely. Thus, conditions are very likely to be favourable for commencement of withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from some parts of northwest India from around October 6," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said at a virtual media conference.

In 2019, the monsoon withdrawal had taken place on October 9 and prior to that, it was in 1961 that the monsoon withdrawal date was October 1.

The IMD had revised the date of withdrawal of the southwest monsoon last year to September 17. Unlike the process of onset of the monsoon, which is very slow, the withdrawal need not be that slow, Mohapatra said, adding, generally, the complete withdrawal of the southwest monsoon happens by October 12 and the stage is set for commencement of the northeast monsoon - that brings in rains mostly to Tamil Nadu, parts of Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala.

"Even when the withdrawal has commenced late, it is not necessary that the withdrawal process will complete late too."

Mohapatra, however, neither put a date nor speculated about the completion of the withdrawal process.