Southwest monsoon begins retreat from northwest India despite 43% rain deficit across country, IMD reports. (File)The southwest monsoon has begun a timely retreat from the northwestern parts of India even as nearly 43 per cent of the country’s geographical area remains rain deficit.“The southwest monsoon has withdrawn from some parts of west Rajasthan,” The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday, adding that this withdrawal is close to the climatological normal (September 17), with a deviation of four days.As of Saturday, the line of monsoon withdrawal has passed through Rajasthan’s Ramgarh, Mohangarh, Phalodi and Khajuwala areas.The national weather agency further said that the monsoon will retreat from more parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Kutch-Saurashtra within the next three to four days.This year, the seasonal rainfall has largely remained below normal through June, August and September (till date), while July rainfall was just about 1 per cent above normal. In this season (till September 18), the country-wide rainfall was 15 per cent below normal at 693mm.Meanwhile, the prevailing cyclonic circulation over north Andaman Sea is set to develop into a low pressure system this weekend.“The low pressure system is likely to move west-northwest and gradually intensify into a depression around September 21, and into a deep depression over west-central Bay of Bengal around September 22. It will continue to move towards and cross south Odisha-north Andhra Pradesh coasts around September 23,” the IMD said.Story continues below this adOdisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Sikkim and coastal Andhra Pradesh will experience moderate rainfall throughout the next week, the national weather agency added.