Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, September 24
The southwest monsoon has begun withdrawing from Himachal Pradesh, with eight districts seeing its exit on Tuesday, according to the Meteorological Centre in Shimla. Chamba, Kangra, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Solan, Sirmaur and Mandi are the first districts where the season has officially ended. The weather office said the monsoon is expected to withdraw from the rest of the state within two days. Clear skies are forecast until 30 September, with temperatures likely to rise by 1–2°C.
“This year’s monsoon has been much wetter than usual across Himachal Pradesh, except for Lahaul-Spiti,” said Sandeep Kumar Sharma, scientist at the Meteorological Centre, Shimla.
Himachal received 42% more rainfall than average this year. Shimla saw the sharpest rise, with nearly double its usual rainfall at 99% above normal. Kullu recorded 97% more than usual, Bilaspur 79%, and Mandi 76%.
According to Sharma, rainfall across most districts remained significantly higher than normal, marking one of the wettest monsoon seasons in recent years.
