Is monsoon withdrawing from India? An almost cloud-free India seen from space

Fresh satellite images show India with sharply reduced cloud cover, especially over the northwest and central regions. Forecasters say this signals weakening monsoon activity, but the official withdrawal is still pending.The clear skies visible from space do not mean that the monsoon has officially withdrawn from India. (Photo: Windy)India appears strikingly cloud-free in fresh satellite imagery, raising questions over whether the southwest monsoon has finally begun its annual retreat. But despite the dramatic reduction in cloud cover across large parts of the country, the monsoon withdrawal has not yet officially begun.Satellite images show vast stretches of India with significantly fewer clouds, particularly over northwest and central regions. The sudden clearing is not limited to the Indian subcontinent.A substantial reduction in cloud cover has also been observed across a much wider region stretching from the Arabian Sea to the western Pacific, including parts of China, Indonesia, Sumatra and other areas of South and East Asia.The large-scale reduction in cloudiness is being linked to the broader atmospheric conditions associated with a powerful El Nio influence, with the changing circulation patterns beginning to affect monsoon activity across the region. However, the clear skies visible from space do not mean that the monsoon has officially withdrawn from India. The formal withdrawal process is expected to begin only after September 15, starting from parts of northwest India. Weather models indicate that atmospheric conditions could increasingly become favourable for the retreat of the monsoon during the second half of September. According to projections from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the Global Forecast System (GFS), a monsoon withdrawal anticyclone is likely to gradually strengthen over northwest India.The anticyclonic circulation is expected to mature more fully around September 21, potentially setting the stage for a more organised withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from the region.The transition marks an important phase in India's annual weather cycle.As the monsoon begins retreating from northwest India, rainfall activity typically weakens across large parts of the region, bringing clearer skies, lower humidity and increasingly dry conditions.For now, though, the satellite view of an almost cloud-free India is only an indication of weakening monsoon activity, not its official end. The formal withdrawal will depend on the evolution of atmospheric conditions over the coming days.- EndsPublished By: Sibu Kumar TripathiPublished On: Sep 8, 2026 07:30 IST