As New Year dawns, hope of snow brings cheer to Himachal
Long spell of snowless days has spoiled the plans of tourists to holiday in the hills, say experts
image for illustrative purpose
Shimla/Manali: After an extremely wet southwest monsoon in Himachal Pradesh that claimed several lives and damaged infrastructures, this winter has been bereft of precipitation since October 9, turning mountains brown due to the lack of a “blanket of snow” and rains. As the New Year dawns, a hope of widespread snow and rain has cheered both the tourists and local farmers.
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Himachal Pradesh may receive rain and snow on December 31. “Light rain or snow likely at isolated places on December 30 and January 2, with light to moderate rain and snow likely at many places on December 31 and at a few places on January 1 over the state,” said the IMD.
“Dry weather is likely to prevail during the remaining days of the week,” it added.
Members of the hospitality industry say the long spell of snowless days has so far spoiled the plans of tourists to holiday in the hills. “Now with the IMD predicting snow just ahead of the New Year dawn, we expect a good footfall of the holidaymakers,” a Shimla-based hotelier said.
He said they were getting so many queries from tourists about the possibility of snow in and around Shimla. “We are asking them to visit hill destinations to enjoy a snowy landscape,” he added.
Narkanda, the heart of the apple belt, some 65 km from the state capital, and the popular tourist resorts Manali and Dalhousie are bereft of snow cover. However, hills overlooking Manali have plenty of snow. “We are really enjoying basking in the sun for the past many days in Shimla. We are desperately awaiting the onset of snow, the season’s first here,” Jagdeep Ghuman, a tourist from Delhi, said.
Experts at the Dr Y.S. Parmar, University of Horticulture and Forestry in Nauni in Solan district say traditionally October to December are dry months in the state, and long-term observations (1980-2024) indicate that November receives below-normal rainfall in nearly 68.2 per cent of the years.
In sub-humid mid-hill regions, nearly 30-50 per cent of soil moisture is lost through evaporation, a figure likely to increase under the current conditions. The recurrence of drought during these months has become common, and with nearly 70 per cent of the state’s area being rainfed, the adoption of moisture-conservation agronomic practices has become essential, they say. Insufficient soil moisture during the dry spell may adversely affect fruit plant saplings by hampering root development, restricting nutrient uptake and increasing susceptibility to diseases. The experts advised that new plantations of deciduous fruit crops such as apple, peach, plum, apricot, persimmon, walnut and kiwifruit should be postponed until moisture conditions improve.
