Himalayas bare, rocky after reduced snowfall

Winter snowfall on the Himalayas has sharply declined, leaving many peaks bare and rocky, meteorologists report.

Most winters in the past five years saw less snow than the 1980–2020 average.

Rising temperatures mean faster melt, with lower elevations seeing more rain than snow — a trend linked to global warming, according to the IPCC and other studies.

Studies have also shown there is now what is known as “snow drought” during winter in many parts of the Himalayan region.

Accelerated melting of glaciers in the wake of global warming has long been a major crisis facing India’s Himalayan states and other countries in the region. This dwindling snowfall during winter is making matters worse, experts have told the BBC.