Snow, snowfall, snow cover: India
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Snow cover: India/ THE YEAR-WISE STATUS
1972- 2023
Priyangi Agarwal, June 12, 2023: The Times of India
From: Priyangi Agarwal, June 12, 2023: The Times of India
New Delhi: An ongoing study by a research think-tank says that in the past five decades, the snow cover in the higher altitudes of Uttarakhand — 3,000 metres and above — has reduced, which will have an impact on the flow of rivers downstream, including in Delhi-NCR.
A previous study, High Altitude Phytodiversity and Impacts of Climate Variability at Ecosystem and Species Level in Garhwal Himalaya (Uttarakhand) using Geospatial Techniques, funded by the central science and technology department, was based on the decadal data from 1972 to 2013 using Landsat satellite images. The ongoing study, in continuation of the previous one, is capturing the intra annual variability in snow and vegetation covers from 1972 to 2023 and its impact on National Capital Region.
Yogita Shukla, founder and CEO of think-tank addGEO Foundation who shared the initial findings of her research at the 10th edition of ‘dialogue to develop a vision for the environment of Delhi-2025’, said on Monday, “Nature is connected and what happens upstream, it impacts downstream. Any climatic disturbance happening in high altitude will impact DelhiNCR as the aerial distance is not much between them. Both the Ganga and the Yamuna that feed NCR start from the high altitude of Uttarakhand. Hence, any impact on snow cover will have an impact on the flow of rivers downstream. ” The study states that the maximum snow cover in the higher altitude of Uttarakhand region was 14,423. 6 square kilometres in 1973, but it saw a reduction of 34. 7% in 2013 at 9,413. 2 sqkm. Similarly, the minimum snow cover saw a reduction of 59. 3% as the area decreased from 10,417. 8 sqkm in 1973 to 4,250. 5 in 2013. “These observations are taken at a point in one decade, and there have been intermittent increases in snow cover in some years in between. However, the overall trend is drastic reduction in snow cover,” said Shukla.
The weather pattern, she said, has become erratic in Delhi-NCR. “We used to have a cycle of seasons like two-three months each for monsoon and winter. However, winter has now become short and inten- se. We now witness summer with high temperatures, leading to local convection causing rain. This summer, rain also happened due to western disturbances and moisture from Arabian Sea,” said Shukla. Climate change is causing extreme events and high inter annual variability, she added.
According to the study, the decrease in the minimum snow cover over from 1972 to 2013 has resulted in the appearance of certain vegetation types in very high altitude areas that had remained under the snow for several decades. “Since 1990, the disappearance of snow provided good conditions for vegetation underneath to bloom in full growth and has led to the spread of alpine and sub-alpine vegetation earlier covered under the snow,” it says.
Himachal Pradesh
Declining Snow Cover/ 2018-2024
Rohit.Mullick, January 29, 2026: The Times of India
Declining Snow Cover in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh, often called the "Abode of Snow" (Him-achala), has experienced a marked decline in winter snow cover over recent decades, disrupting traditional seasonal patterns, tourism, and agriculture. Cooler pre-monsoon months have given way to warmer winters and delayed snowfall, with satellite data indicating a shrinkage in snow-covered areas across key river basins. This trend, attributed largely to climate change, threatens the state's economic lifelines—apple farming and tourism—while altering ecological rhythms in the western Himalayas.
Residents like Pravesh Jassal, who has observed Shimla's winters for six decades, note that substantial snowfall has become rare since the late 1990s and early 2000s, coinciding with rapid urban expansion. A brief snowfall on January 23, 2026, in Shimla, Manali, and surrounding areas ended a three-month dry spell, drawing tourists and social media excitement, but experts emphasize it does not reverse long-term losses.
Similarly, apple grower Sohan Lal Verma, 62, from Raison near Manali in Kullu district, recalls 2–3 feet of snow in his youth, contrasting sharply with today's scant six inches, which has diminished apple crop quality and quantity.
Snow Cover Trends and Data
Data from the State Centre on Climate Change (SCCC) reveals a consistent decline in snow cover over the past six years. Satellite mapping of the Chenab, Beas, Ravi, and Satluj river basins shows total snowfall area contracting from 20,210 square kilometers in the 2018–19 winter to 17,437 square kilometers in 2023–24—a nearly 14% reduction. The 2023–24 snow cover was 13% lower than the prior winter, with the Satluj basin maintaining the highest coverage, followed by Chenab, Beas, and Ravi. While some recovery occurs between February and April, winters now feature delayed rather than sustained early-season snow. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports snowfall days in Shimla dropping from 20–30 annually in the 1970s to five or fewer by 2008, driven by rising temperatures. Since 1901, Himachal Pradesh's average mean temperature has increased by 1.5°C, with maximum temperatures rising 2.18°C. Winters, monsoons, and post-monsoon periods have warmed, leading to erratic patterns: precipitation increasingly falls as rain rather than snow, snowfall starts later, and days diminish. High-altitude areas like Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, and Rohtang Pass—once closed by November 15 due to heavy snow—remained largely snow-free until late January 2026, with Rohtang open until January 1.
Environmentalist Guman Singh of Himalaya Niti Abhiyan highlights this temporal shift: snowfall, previously spanning November to March, now often begins after January and extends into April, posing ecological risks.
Impacts on Apple Farming
Apple cultivation, supporting Himachal's rural economy, requires 1,200–1,600 chilling hours below 7°C for proper flowering and fruiting. Warmer, shorter winters have eroded these hours, prompting orchards to shift upward by nearly 1,000 feet. Sunil Sharma, a Kullu-based grower, explains that areas thriving at 5,000 feet now falter, with new orchards above 6,000 feet. The traditional apple belt along the Beas River—from Nagwain in Mandi to Bajaura, Bhuntar, and Bashing near Kullu—has vanished, as farmers uprooted trees due to insufficient snow and switched to vegetables or higher elevations.
Classic varieties like Royal Delicious and Red Delicious have disappeared from lower Mandi, Shimla, and Kullu areas, exacerbated by diseases such as scab and canker, which proliferate in warmer, wetter conditions. Om Prakash Sharma from Bhuntar notes repeated disease outbreaks, yield drops, and forced relocations to elevations over 6,000 feet. This 2025–26 winter's dry spell led some farmers to improvise with overnight water sprinklers, forming icicles on branches to mimic snow. However, experts like Sharma caution that daytime warmth undermines sustained cold needs, risking tree health. Newer varieties like Gala tolerate fewer chilling hours but still face disruptions, as horticulture official Kushal Mehta observes: precipitation now shifts to February from December, affecting flowering, fruit set, taste, firmness, and antioxidants.
Effects on Tourism and Urban Development
Tourism, centered in Shimla, Manali, and Dharamshala, faces a paradox as both victim and potential contributor. Unprecedented construction over two decades—hotels, roads, and parking—has replaced forests, boosting tourist traffic amid rising air pollution. Travel operator Vinay Soni from Bahnu village links declining snowfall to mass tourism, traffic, and construction, which impair cloud formation, precipitation, and moisture retention via lost tree cover.
Precipitation deficits underscore the crisis: Shimla meteorological data shows November 2025 with just 1 mm (95% below normal) and December at 0.1 mm (sixth-lowest since 1901). By mid-January 2026, the deficit reached 92%, unlikely to be offset by one event.
Broader Ecological and Hydrological Consequences
Reduced snowpack diminishes summer river flows in the Chenab, Beas, Ravi, and Satluj, straining downstream water supplies. Dry winters have sparked forest fires in cold months, while rabi crops like wheat and vegetables risk up to 10% production losses from inadequate rain. The SCCC primarily blames climate change—rising winter temperatures, altered precipitation, and extreme weather—for snow decline, advocating monitoring and adaptation strategies for the Himalayan ecosystem.
Underlying Causes and Future Outlook
Human factors amplify climatic shifts: urbanization in Shimla since the 1990s, deforestation, and pollution alter local microclimates. While January 2026's snow offered temporary relief, scientists warn of irreversible trends without intervention. Adaptation may include resilient crop varieties, sustainable tourism, and reforestation, but the "abode of snow" risks losing its defining feature.
