Kashmir faces mounting snowfall deficit amid climate change

Srinagar, Jan 7: In Kashmir, especially in places with lower altitude, snow-scanty winters have almost become a norm now.

This was not the case just a few decades ago.

Some experts believe climate change is at the core of shifting precipitation patterns and casts a shadow over livelihoods and agriculture.

This year, Kashmir is once again grappling with an undeniable snowfall deficit.

The higher mountain reaches received modest accumulations while Srinagar and the surrounding plains have remained longing for some flakes.

Although over the end of 2025 and in the first week of January this year, snowfall has been recorded in many parts of Kashmir, the amount of snow accumulation is very low compared to what the trend was in Kashmir, records show.

This pattern has been observed year after year and shows a broader climatic shift driven by global warming.

The trend is established by recent research on long-term precipitation trends.

Noted environment and earth scientist, and Vice Chancellor of Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora, Prof Shakeel Romshoo, said mountains were expected to receive more snowfall than plains due to the altitude difference.

However, he said, the analysis of long-term winter precipitation in the form of snow in Kashmir had declined.

“This is primarily due to climate change: winter precipitation in Kashmir used to be snowfall, not rain,” Prof Romshoo said.

The frequency of snow-deficient winters, even during Chillai Kalan, has increased significantly, he said. “The winters in Kashmir have changed,” Prof Romshoo said.

He said that research, of which he has been a part, had shown that the trend had intensified over the last decade.

“This is exacerbated by drier-than-usual autumns followed by warmer winters,” Prof Romshoo said.

He said temperatures in February and March often surpass long-term averages.

“This results in reduced snowpack buildup,” Prof Romshoo said.

The issue is compounded by early heat waves across the South Asian plains, including Kashmir.

This accelerates snowmelt on glaciers during the subsequent summer and autumn seasons.

“Our field measurements over the past 10 years confirm accelerated glacier retreat across the Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh regions,” Prof Romshoo said.

There is diminished snow accumulation and heightened ice loss, a phenomenon that has profound implications for the Himalayan ecosystem and human livelihoods.

The reduced snow and glacier melt threaten water availability across Himalayan habitations, casting a shadow over irrigation and drinking supplies.

“Agricultural productivity could suffer from irregular water flows,” Prof Romshoo said.

He said that hydropower generation also faces potential disruptions, and changing weather patterns had already started to show on many human livelihood activities.

The average temperature in Kashmir has increased by 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to 0.7 degrees Celsius during the last century.

The mountain region, being fragile, is more sensitive to global warming.