NO SNOW NO WINTER CHARM The absence of snow-clad slopes of Kashmir has disappointed many people visiting Kashmir since the last week of December during the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

The winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is yet to experience snowfall this year. Gulmarg, known for its ski slopes, remains devoid of the usual winter snow, disappointing enthusiasts from India and abroad.
This January marks the first time in recent public memory that Gulmarg and Pahalgam, renowned for their snowy landscapes, have seen no snow.
The plains have received no snowfall, and the hilly areas have seen below-average snowfall, contributing to a 79 per cent rainfall deficit throughout December in the Kashmir Valley.
Scores of tourists returned home from Kashmir without getting a feel of snow. The lack of snowfall in the valley this winter will not only hit tourism and related activities, but also badly affect agriculture and allied activities.
A large number of tourists, who arrived here on the New Year’s Eve in the hope of enjoying skiing and other snow-related activities in the Gulmarg bowl, had to go back disappointed due to the lack of snowfall.
Although Kashmir is almost halfway through its harshest 40-day winter period, “Chilla-i-Kalan”, no snow can bee seen on the Himalayan peaks and vast meadows dotted with pine trees and blue lakes.
Popular tourist destination Gulmarg, which is generally snow-covered at this time of the year, is “dry and bleached”, bereft of any snow, leaving the tourists and people upset.Ecologists as well as those who depend on tourism for survival and livelihood have expressed concern over the prolonged dry spell. Tourism stakeholders have expressed desire for the “much-needed snowfall” soon, hoping for a surge in tourists in February.
The weather office has said the tourist town witnessed a dry spell this winter with the Kashmir Valley seeing a 79% drop in rainfall and barely any snow.
“The whole of December and the first week of January has been dry. There are no major precipitation chances in the coming days. The weather may remain dry till noon of January 16. There was a pattern of early snowfall for the last three to four years which is missing this year. There is no major spell. El Nino has persisted since November and may continue till next month,” Director of Kashmir Meteorological Centre Mukhtar Ahmad said.
According to the meteorological department, no immediate relief is expected as the dry weather conditions will persist till next month.
Meteorologists attribute the low snow to the ongoing El Nino weather event that led to 2023 being the warmest year on record. The El Niño effect, is characterised by the warming of sea surface temperatures which can disrupt global weather patterns. The weather phenomenon is likely to raise the heat in 2024 as well.
The India Metereological department also said the absence of western disturbances, which bring snowfall in the higher reaches and rain in the plains, has resulted in no major snowfall so far which is likely to continue this month.
Mahesh Palawat, Vice President at Skymet Weather has said that this season, India will witness a delayed and short winter.
“Usually, western disturbances begin around October and the last two months of the year see heavy snowfall and severe winter in the north. Now, these disturbances are weakening and snowfall is receding. Every year, October to February are getting hotter leading to shrinking winters,” he said.
Tourism affected
The Himalayan town’s economy majorly depends on tourists who make their way to the town in the winter months to enjoy snow sports. With no snow on the ground, tourists have begun cancelling their trips to Gulmarg. Last year, the tourist town had recorded the highest footfall with more than 1.65 million tourists.
The Khelo India Winter Games that will be held from February 2 might also be affected by the low snowfall.
“If it continues any longer, it can have a huge cascading effect on socio-economic activities. If you don’t get (enough) snow, you don’t get replenishment of water, it will impact agriculture, your health and can, in turn, impact your economy,” glaciologist and Himalayan researcher AN Dimri reported.
El Nino effect
IMD scientist Soma Sen Roy has linked this anomaly to El Nino, a climatic phenomenon characterised by the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. It has a far-reaching impact on global weather patterns, including those that govern precipitation in Kashmir.
“The Indian subcontinent currently lacks a strong western disturbance that brings moisture from the Arabian Sea and causes snowfall in the mountains. It turns feeble while approaching the subcontinent. El Nino is a very significant factor behind this phenomenon,” Roy told India Today in Delhi.
The scientist said no major change is expected to happen in the weather in Kashmir and North India.
Weathermen say El Nino’s influence has been noticeable since November last year and is expected to continue into the next month.
In Southeast Asia, El Nino typically results in drier-than-average rainfall conditions, especially during December to February, followed by warmer temperatures.
The absence of snow-clad slopes of Kashmir has disappointed many people visiting Kashmir since the last week of December during the Christmas and New Year holiday season.