Cyclone Arnab heading to Odisha coast as heavy rain hits several states and monsoon begins retreat

A new cyclone named Arnab has formed over the Bay of Bengal and is moving west at a speed of 12 kilometres per hour over the last six hours. By Wednesday morning at 5:30 am, it was located about 70 kilometres away from Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in the sea, and it is expected to cross the coast near Kalingapatnam in Odisha by night. Meanwhile, the monsoon has retreated from Delhi today, two days ahead of its normal date of September 25. Delhi recorded 728.6 millimetres of rainfall this season, which is 16 percent higher than the usual 629.7 millimetres. The weather department noted that the monsoon has also pulled back from Punjab, Haryana, most parts of Rajasthan, and some regions of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Heavy rain alerts are in place today for Chhindwara, Seoni, and Balaghat districts in Madhya Pradesh, where average seasonal rainfall has reached 34.2 inches, marking 91.5 percent of normal levels. Uttar Pradesh has issued rain alerts for 41 districts, with heavy morning downpours hitting Lucknow and Unnao, even though the state as a whole has seen six percent less rainfall this season and western districts will see the monsoon leave in the next two to three days. Bihar is under a complete yellow alert across all 38 districts today with warnings of lightning. Uttarakhand expects light rain in seven districts including Uttarkashi and Chamoli, while Haryana anticipates a weather shift from September 26 due to a western disturbance, bringing light to moderate showers between September 28 and 30. In contrast, Rajasthan is facing hot weather akin to May as rain has stopped, pushing temperatures above 41 degrees Celsius in Jaisalmer and past 40 degrees in Bikaner and Barmer, with dry conditions expected to persist for the next four to five days.