Monsoon withdraws, but heavy rain keeps 1 foot in

Panaji: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has officially announced the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from the Indian subcontinent on Oct 15. From Oct 1 to 15, Goa recorded 151.1mm rainfall, with Sanguem emerging as the top rain gauge station, measuring 258mm of rainfall.
On the day of the withdrawal, Goa experienced thunderstorms accompanied by lightning at isolated places. However, the maximum temperature stayed at 32C, and the minimum temperature of 26C was recorded. Despite the monsoon's withdrawal, the IMD issued a yellow alert for Goa, forecasting heavy rainfall in isolated areas on Oct 16 and 17.
The weather system in focus is a depression located over the west-central Arabian Sea, approximately 460km south-southeast of Masirah, Oman. The system moved northwest at a speed of 18kmph and is expected to impact maritime conditions. Fishermen are advised against venturing into the west-central Arabian Sea until the morning of Oct 16, due to rough sea conditions that are anticipated to prevail.
Squally wind speed reaching 35-45kmph and gusting to 55kmph is also likely to prevail over west-central Arabian Sea, according to the IMD forecast.
Visibility over the sea is likely to be reduced due to sea spray from strong winds and heavy rainfall, which could pose risks to smaller vessels, including fishing boats and trawlers. A port warning has therefore been issued.
Meteorologist and retired scientist, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), M R Ramesh Kumar, said that the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon marks the beginning of the northeastern monsoon over the southeastern peninsular region.
As Goa prepares for the transition between monsoon phases, residents are advised to stay alert on the weather updates and take necessary precautions against the expected rainfall in the coming days.