Monsoon withdraws from Bihar

The south-west monsoon finally withdrew from Bihar today, the MeT department said.

This year's monsoon left a five per cent rainfall deficiency, a bulletin from the department said.

Weather remained dry over Bihar during the past 24 hours and it would stay so over the next few days in the state, the bulletin said.

A MeT department official said that people could expect the weather to turn cold around Chhath, which is at the end of the first week of November, provided there was no build-up of cyclonic system in the Bay of Bengal.

"Usually, one or two spells of cyclone are formed in the Bay of Bengal around this season and if any such cyclone is indeed formed then the winter may be delayed by 10 or 15 days," he said.
 

At present, a north-westerly wind is blowing at a very slow speed across Bihar and if it gains momentum, which is expected in 2-3 days, then people may start witnessing winter weather condition around the first week of November, he said.

The minimum temperature in Patna today hovered around 21 degrees Celsius, which is a bit higher, MeT department sources said.

The monsoon had reached Bihar on June 17 after a delay of seven days from the normal onset date of June 10.