Kathmandu, October 4

The Meteorological Forecasting Division today said monsoon was likely to retreat from Nepal in the next few days.

According to the division, the weather will become clear from Friday. “Currently, active system was created by moist wind from the Bay of Bengal and local phenomena, so the weather will become clear in the next few days,” said Shanti Kandel, meteorologist at the division, adding, “Besides, monsoon is continuously retreating from Rajansthan. So it is likely to withdraw prior to Tika this year.”

Kandel said westerly wind was significantly developing since yesterday. During the retreat of monsoon westerly winds dominate easterly and the moist wind that comes from the Bay of Bengal. “Presence of westerly wind in Nepal means monsoon is on its way out,” Kandel said, adding, “We are preparing to declare the date of monsoon retreat.”

Following the trend of the last few years, this year’s monsoon is also retreating from Nepal two weeks later than the normal date. September 23 is the normal date for withdrawal of monsoon from Nepal whereas the normal onset date is June 10.

This year monsoon stayed longer as monsoon retreat began 15 days later from Rajasthan. Monsoon retreat starts from Rajasthan and normally completely withdraws from the Indian state by September 1. Monsoon, which completely withdrew from Rajasthan on September 15, has reached Jaisalmer today.

This year monsoon had entered Nepal on June 15, five days later than the normal onset date in Nepal. With another delayed monsoon this year, Nepal so far has witnessed 33 delayed monsoons out of 48 recorded so far.

Similarly, this is the 29th delayed monsoon retreat from Nepal so far.

The data of DHM says the year 2013 saw the largest deviation from the set monsoon withdrawal period, ending that year on October 19 instead of September 23. Monsoon ended 28 times after the set date, 17 times before it, and just two times on September 23.

The withdrawal date for 1980 was not recorded.

A research carried out by Meteorological Forecasting Division by observing monsoon trends from 1981 to 2010 shows existing monsoon onset and withdrawal date has to be shifted by five days to make up for the deviations.

Monsoon this year is likely to withdraw with normal rainfall throughout the country.