Snow has finally returned to parts of North India’s higher Himalayas after a long dry spell, as western disturbances brought fresh snowfall to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. While the white slopes have offered brief visual relief, scientists warn that this late-season snowfall cannot undo the damage of an unusually snowless winter, pointing instead to deeper climate shifts underway in the region.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast continued rain and snowfall across the western Himalayan region till the end of the month. However, January traditionally the heart of the snow season nearly passed without significant snowfall in several high-altitude areas, including Badrinath, Kedarnath and large parts of the Garhwal region. Locals and long-time observers say such conditions are unprecedented in recent decades, possibly not seen in nearly 40 years.
A Winter That Arrived Too Late
Though snowfall in late January may appear reassuring, experts say it offers little long-term benefit. Snow arriving this late is typically thinner and melts faster as temperatures begin to rise toward spring. Unlike sustained snowfall in December and early January, it does not build a stable snowpack that can last through the season.
Weather variability alone cannot explain the scale of this absence. When snow days decline sharply in regions that have depended on consistent winter snowfall for generations, it becomes more than an unusual year it becomes a warning signal.
Why Western Disturbances Failed This Season
Winter precipitation in the western Himalayas depends largely on western disturbances moisture-laden weather systems originating near the Mediterranean Sea. These systems usually bring snowfall to Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand between December and February.
This winter, however, western disturbances were fewer, weaker, or shifted northward. Several passed through the region with little moisture, while others missed Uttarakhand altogether. As a result, long dry spells dominated what should have been peak snowfall months. Scientists note that late snowfall cannot compensate for the absence of early winter accumulation, effectively creating what is known as a “snow drought.”
When Rising Temperatures Turn Snow Into Rain
Beyond storm patterns, rising winter temperatures are playing a critical role. As the climate warms, the freezing level the altitude where temperatures fall below zero is moving higher up the mountains. Areas that once reliably received snow are now hovering near the freezing threshold.
When precipitation falls under these conditions, it increasingly comes as rain instead of snow, even at high elevations. This shift has serious consequences. Snow acts as a natural water reservoir, releasing meltwater gradually over months. Rain, by contrast, runs off quickly, increasing erosion, destabilising slopes, and accelerating glacier melt rather than replenishing ice.
A winter may appear “wet” in rainfall data, yet function as a snowless season on the ground, leaving little water stored for the months ahead.
From Weather Events to Climate Patterns
Scientists caution against viewing this winter in isolation. Across the Himalayan region, temperatures have risen faster than the global average. Observations and satellite data show that snow is arriving later, melting earlier, and persisting for shorter periods, particularly at mid and high elevations.
Recent global research indicates a nearly seven percent decline in persistent mountain snow cover worldwide over the past four decades. High Mountain Asia is among the most vulnerable regions, with persistent snow declining sharply even with relatively modest warming. The snowless winter unfolding in Uttarakhand reflects this broader, long-term trend.
Why Snow Loss Matters Beyond the Mountains
In the Himalayas, snow is not merely seasonal scenery it is vital infrastructure. Snowpack stores winter precipitation and releases it slowly through spring and summer, sustaining rivers, agriculture and drinking water supplies for millions downstream.
Without stable snow cover, rivers may see brief surges during winter rain but experience sharper declines later in the year, precisely when water demand peaks. Ecologically, snow insulates soils, preserves moisture and regulates plant growth. Its absence increases stress on fragile alpine ecosystems and raises the risk of early forest fires, which Uttarakhand has already witnessed in recent years.
Lives, Livelihoods and Cultural Loss
For mountain communities, a snowless winter has immediate social and economic consequences. Tourism, pilgrimage seasons, farming cycles and pastoral systems all rely on predictable snowfall patterns. Culturally, snow shapes how people understand mountain seasons and risks. Its disappearance disrupts not only livelihoods but long-held relationships with the land.
Warning From the Future
What makes this winter particularly unsettling is how closely it mirrors long-standing climate projections. As warming continues, snowlines will rise, rain will increasingly replace snow, and glaciers will struggle to regain mass during winter months.
Snow may not vanish entirely, but it is becoming unreliable and insufficient to support the systems built around it. The bare Himalayan peaks of January may offer a glimpse of what future winters could look like if current trends continue.
Often called the “water tower of Asia,” the Himalayas depend on snow as a foundational support. That foundation is quietly eroding. Scientists say responding to this challenge will require sustained monitoring, better integration of mountain climate science into water and disaster planning, and recognition that climate change in the Himalayas is already reshaping winters in real time.
A winter without snow in the high Himalayas is no longer just unusual. It is a message and one that demands attention before such winters become the norm.