Consider the following statements regarding the season of retreating monsoon:

1. Monsoon retreat begins from western Rajasthan.

2. It is characterized by the “October Heat”.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The monsoon retreats from western Rajasthan by the first week of September. It withdraws from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western Ganga plain and the Central Highlands by the end of the month. By the beginning of October, the low pressure covers northern parts of the Bay of Bengal and by early November, it moves over Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. By the middle of December, the centre of low pressure is completely removed from the Peninsula.

The retreating south-west monsoon season is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature. The land is still moist. Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive. This is commonly known as the ‘October Heat’. In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly, particularly in northern India. The weather in the retreating monsoon is dry in north India, but it is associated with rain in the eastern part of the Peninsula. Here, October and November are the rainiest months of the year.