New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) The southwest monsoon is likely to retreat from the national capital and neighboring areas by the weekend, weather forecasters said on Sunday.

An anti-cyclone will establish over southwest Rajasthan after 24 hours and northwesterly winds will commence in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi which will lead to a drop in moisture content in the atmosphere, they said.

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"Thereafter, the conditions will become favourable for further withdrawal of the monsoon in the next two-three days. We expect the monsoon to retreat from Delhi by September 30-October 1," said Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather.

At present, the line of withdrawal of the southwest monsoon passes through Khajuwala, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Naliya, the India Meteorological Department said.

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The incessant rains in Delhi from September 21 to September 24 helped the capital cover a large rain deficit that had piled up over the last one-and-a-half-month.

The rainfall recorded at the Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, swung from a 49 percent deficit on September 21 to a surplus of 39 percent on September 24.

The capital has recorded 164.5 mm of precipitation against a normal of 118.2 mm in September so far.

On an average, the city gauges 125.1 mm of rainfall in September.

The incessant rains between on Wednesday and Saturday also brought down the overall deficit in the monsoon season.

Delhi's overall rain deficit in the monsoon season dropped from 35 per cent (till September 22) to 17 per cent by Sunday morning.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)