Chennai, Jan 12 (IANS): The Northeast monsoon is expected to withdraw from South India by January 15, the weather department said.

In Chennai, the sky is expected to be partly cloudy but there will not be any rains in the next 48 hours and maximum temperature is expected to be around 31 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 23 degrees Celsius, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said.

The cyclonic circulation over the East Equatorial Indian Ocean centred at Lat 2.0 degrees N/Long 76 degrees E extending up to 3.1 km above mean sea level has become unimportant for the Indian region, the statement said.

The RMC in the statement said that this was the sixth consecutive year that the Northeast monsoon had spilt over to January.

In 2018, the monsoon extended until January 2; in 2019, it lasted till January 10; in 2020, it extended until January 19; in 2021, the monsoon ended on January 22; and in 2022, the monsoon withdrew on January 12.