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– Photo: Amar Ujala
Expansion
Snowfall has changed its course from the concrete jungle that is the growing urban areas. The year-to-year cycle of snowfall in world-famous tourist destinations Shimla and Manali is clearly indicating this. Snowfall in November and December has been severed from both the tourist towns.
Even in January, the days of snowfall are now decreasing. However, going back to the 80s and 90s, most of the hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh were covered with heavy snow. In Shimla and Manali, which have joined the race for modernization since the year 2000, the area of forests is continuously decreasing, while urbanization is spreading rapidly. This has a direct impact on the cycle of weather associated with snowfall. People are now running from both the cities and to higher altitude areas to see the snow.
If you look at the statistics, Shimla has received snowfall ranging from 60 to 96 cm only ten times after the year 2000 during January. Shimla used to get good snowfall in November and December as well, now in these months there has been no snowfall for many years. In the past years, only flakes of snow have fallen here and there during December.
- Before the year 2000, the snowfall season used to last till February. Now the capital Shimla received snowfall during February 12 times in the year 2000, 7 times in 2007, six in 2019 and only twice in 2022. Shimla did not receive any snowfall in November, December of 2005 and in January, February and March of 2006. The month of January of the new year 2023 also remained dry without snowfall in Shimla.
- In the year 2009-10 only a nominal 1.8 cm of snowfall was recorded in the entire season. In the year 1995, it snowed in Shimla during November. At that time 7.8 cm snowfall was recorded. Since then there has been no snowfall in November.
Out of 279 days, there was snowfall only on these days.
According to the data of the Meteorological Center, Shimla, in the month of January from 2015 to 2023, in total 279 days of the season, Shimla received snowfall 38 times and Manali 33 times. Shimla received snowfall on five days in January 2015, two in 2016, seven in 2017, one in 2018, seven in 2019, seven in 2020, eight in 2022 and one in 2023. Manali received snowfall on five days in January 2015, one in 2016, eight in 2017, nine in 2019, two in 2020, five in 2022 and three in 2023.