Snowfall ends dry spell in Ladakh

Kargil, Feb 4: The prolonged dry spell in Ladakh came to an end with a fresh snowfall.

Leh , Kargil, Zanskar and Drass experienced light to moderate snowfall. The western Himalayan region witnessed its first significant snowfall of the season on Sunday. The Meteorological Department had said that that starting Saturday, the western disturbances will bring light to moderate to the area. Leh district received about three inches of snow, Kargil four to five inches and Drass five to six inches, Zanskar six to seven inches and Minamarg one foot .

The snowfall is important for drinking water availability and horticulture, and agricultural production in the Himalayan region. The snow brought relief to the people in Ladakh who had eagerly awaited this snowfall to end the dry conditions.

Given Ladakh’s unique dependency on glacier melt-water for irrigation and various purposes, snowfall plays a crucial role in replenishing water bodies and supporting agriculture. The region, situated in a rain shadow zone with limited rainfall, relies on snowfall as a key source for the retreat of glaciers.

Meanwhile, the MeT department has predicted improvement in weather from Monday and said that dry weather conditions will continue till February 13 in Ladakh.

" Snowfall occurred at all places of Kargil district and at many places of Leh dist.Significant Improvement from this evening & Overall improvement from 5th. 6-13th: Mainly Dry Weather is expected in Ladakh in J&K," MeT centre Leh posted on X.