UP, MP, Rajasthan to experience ‘second summer’ after monsoon withdrawal

Weather forecasters explained that before entering the winter season, the daytime temperatures tend to rise in the first half of the month, before it starts falling.

A man drinks a cooling drink offered by locals on a hot summer day during a heatwave in Narela, New Delhi, India. Reuters /Priyanshu Singh

New Delhi: After a pleasant weekend of rain, many parts of northwest and central India are now set to experience increased temperatures — touching up to 40 degrees Celsius — the India Meteorological Department forecast has warned. It also said the southwest monsoon is expected to withdraw at an accelerated pace from most parts of the country in the coming week. 

According to the IMD forecast, on 29 and 30 September, some parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh are likely to experience isolated, scattered rain. However, from 1 October, rain clouds will withdraw, leading to a significant rise in temperatures across the region.

The southwest monsoon will also withdraw from many of these states, the forecast said.  

“Temperatures in some parts in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are expected to touch around 40 degrees Celsius in the coming week,” an IMD official said. 

Private forecasters also confirmed a rapid withdrawal of monsoon now. 

“The last tropical weather system of this monsoon season from the Bay of Bengal is now resting forever in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand. Incessant rains in Uttar Pradesh had tapered down today. What’s ahead: A rapid withdrawal of southwest monsoon officially from most parts of India over next seven days,” Navdeep Dahiya, a private weather forecaster, said in a post on X.

Not unusual

Weather forecasters explained that the October heat is not uncommon. Before entering the winter season, the daytime temperatures tend to rise in the first half of the month, before it starts falling. 

Before the latest western disturbance, the daytime temperatures in many districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat had breached the 40 degree-Celsius mark. 

Mahesh Palawat, Vice-President (meteorology and climate change) at Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency, explained that the phenomenon of this temporary rise in temperatures is known as the “second summer”. 

“This is not uncommon. After monsoon withdrawal, the humidity levels are still high but the skies become clearer. This causes the heat to hit the surface more. The high humidity levels also increase the discomfort levels,” Palawat said.

(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)