The hills of North India have remained largely barren this season. The normal white cover has been replaced by the grey desert look. Stacks of snow have been missing, impacting all sectors like adventure, tourism, sports, agriculture, water bodies and glaciers. The more it gets delayed, extremely grave becomes the problem. Irreparable loss seems imminent, affecting life and assets, without practical solace.
January and February are the snowy months for the tourist resorts across Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand. There has been no snowfall, so far in the month of January at any of the popular destinations. It is rather delayed, this season, surpassing Christmas, New Year, Lohri and Makar Sankranti. The next hope is Republic Day, which seems to be getting aligned, albeit meekly.
No active western disturbance or its auxiliary is likely to approach the northern mountains effectively, for the next one week. The earliest hope of a moderately strong system is appearing on the horizon around Republic Day. Models will have to hold promise which, otherwise on many occasions remain susceptible for precision forecast ten days in advance. The closest reliable window pertains to barely 5 days lead time. So, the evolving situation needs monitoring for the next 2-3 days for confirmation of a positive outcome.
Image Credit: business standard