The Southwest Monsoon has withdrawn almost entirely from Punjab and Haryana, but the weather department has predicted a five-day wet spell over many districts in these states from September 25-29.Light to moderate rain is likely at a few places on September 26 and 27 and at isolated places on September 25, 28 and 29, according to a bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday.The north-western, eastern and south-western areas of Punjab and most parts of Haryana except for Sirsa, Fatehabd and Hisar districts are likely to receive rain during these days. A western disturbance and upper air cyclonic circulation are prevailing over the western Himalayan region.The monsoon had commenced its withdrawal from Punjab and Haryana on September 21, retreating from many areas in these states. The line of withdrawal now passes through Gurdaspur, Chandigarh, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh, Dholpur, Udaipur, Deesa and Naliya.A map released by the IMD on September 23 shows that only a narrow band along the easternmost fringes of Punjab and the north-eastern tip of Haryana remain within the monsoon’s ambit. A satellite image shared by the IMD shows a total absence of any cloud cover over these states.This year, the monsoon has been deficient by 37 per cent in Punjab and by 26 per cent in Haryana. From June 1 till the morning of September 23, Punjab received 267.8 mm rain against the long period average (LPA) of 424.9 for this period. Correspondingly, Haryana received 313.9 mm against the LPA of 423.2 mm.Only two districts in Punjab received above normal rainfall. Pathankot had a surplus of 37 per cent and Gurdaspur had a surplus of 28 per cent. In all other districts, rainfall was below the LPA, with the deficit ranging from five per cent to 70 per cent. Kapurthala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Mansa received the least rain in the state.Recording a surplus of 21 per cent, Palwal is the only district in Haryana to receive rain above the LPA. In other districts, the shortfall ranged from one per cent to 59 per cent, with Jind, Sirsa and Kaithal being the worst affected.IMD has also predicted isolated to fairly widespread rainfall, along with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds with speed reaching 60 kmph, over parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh on some days till September 29.