The Southwest Monsoon has officially withdrawn from the entire Northeastern region, comprising all eight states, close to its normal withdrawal date, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

A senior IMD official said the Monsoon withdrew from the region on Thursday, nearly matching its usual schedule. Last year, the withdrawal from the Northeast was recorded on October 14.

The official said that although winter conditions are expected to set in only during the latter part of November, both maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to decline gradually from now onwards.

The Southwest Monsoon advanced into substantial parts of the Northeast on June 7, two days later than its normal onset date, and covered the entire region by June 10, marking the beginning of the four-month monsoon season.

AS per the IMD data, the eight northeastern states—Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura—recorded an average rainfall deficit of 26 per cent during the June-September Monsoon season.

Among the states, Tripura, Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland remained within the IMD's "normal" rainfall category, despite variations in precipitation. Tripura recorded a 16 per cent rainfall deficit, Mizoram 19 per cent deficient, while Sikkim and Nagaland registered 9 per cent and 6 per cent excess rainfall, respectively. Under IMD norms, rainfall ranging from 19 per cent deficient to 19 per cent excess is classified as normal.

The remaining four states experienced significant rainfall deficits. Meghalaya recorded the highest shortfall at 60 per cent, followed by Manipur (46 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (44 per cent) and Assam (28 per cent).

Despite traditionally being one of the country's wettest states, Meghalaya received only 1,077.1 mm of rainfall during the season against its normal average of 2,695.3 mm, resulting in the steep 60 per cent deficit, IMD data showed.

At the national level, the IMD said India received 87 per cent of its Long Period Average (LPA) rainfall during the 2026 Southwest Monsoon season (June-September). The country recorded 759.4 mm of rainfall, making it the fourth-lowest monsoon rainfall since 2001 and the 13th-lowest since 1901.

Region-wise, seasonal rainfall stood at 94.1 per cent of the LPA in Northwest India, 97 per cent in Central India, 76 per cent in South Peninsular India, and 74 per cent in Northeast India. East and Northeast India recorded 1,017.1 mm of rainfall—the lowest since 1901—while South Peninsular India received 542 mm, the fourth-lowest since 1901 and the second-lowest since 2001. Central India was the only region to receive rainfall within the normal category.

Agricultural scientists and IMD officials said adequate Monsoon rainfall, particularly during July, is critical for the Kharif cropping season, when sowing activities gather momentum across most parts of the country, including the hilly Northeastern states.

A senior official of the Manipur Agriculture Department said the state's 46 per cent rainfall deficit, coupled with the prolonged ethnic conflict, had severely affected agricultural activities due to inadequate irrigation infrastructure.

However, the official said the Manipur government had taken several supportive measures to facilitate Kharif cultivation in both the Imphal Valley and the hill districts despite the challenging conditions.