The monsoon season has officially come to an end in Nepal. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology confirmed this today, marking the conclusion of the rainy season in all parts of the country.
The monsoon, which had initially withdrawn from the Far West and Karnali regions on October 6, 2024, finally departed from the Koshi region on Dashain Tika. The months of June, July, August, and September are traditionally considered the monsoon period in Nepal.
This year, the monsoon season began on June 10, three days earlier than the expected date of June 13. Notably, the monsoon’s withdrawal also occurred later than usual, departing approximately a week after the customary October 2 deadline. As a result, the monsoon lasted for a total of 124 days in Nepal this year.
The prolonged monsoon period brought significant rainfall, leading to widespread flooding and landslides. These natural disasters caused the tragic loss of over 240 lives and resulted in billions of dollars in property damage.
Since Nepal began recording monsoon data in 1968, the year 2013 holds the record for the latest monsoon withdrawal. On that occasion, the monsoon departed on October 19. In contrast, the shortest monsoon season occurred in 1979, lasting only 73 days from June 24 to September 4.
The end of the monsoon is determined by the replacement of the easterly monsoon winds with westerly winds. The monsoon typically enters Nepal from the east and exits from the west. During the withdrawal process, western air enters the far west of Nepal through India’s Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand regions. Following the monsoon’s departure, the winter season begins.
