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Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir is facing the prospect of a difficult summer this year as an acute winter precipitation deficit and unprecedented warmth has accelerated snowmelt and triggered the premature blooming of almond trees across Kashmir Valley.

In early warning signs of mounting climate stress in the Himalayan region, the summer capital Srinagar recorded its warmest February on record with the maximum temperature shooting up 10° above normal on Saturday (February 22) to settle at 21° Celsius.

Mukhtar Ahmad, a meteorologist, said that Kashmir has witnessed record-breaking temperatures in January and February this year which will cause rapid melting of glaciers while agriculture and horticulture seasons will be advanced by a month due to early bloom.

“J&K was not impacted by many significant western disturbances this year and the prevailing dry spell has led to record-breaking increase in temperature. This is going to impact the farmers while forest fires are also likely to increase,” Ahmad who heads the Indian Meteorological Department’s Srinagar station said.

He said that the dearth of western disturbances which are crucial for precipitation events over India and Pakistan has warmed up Kashmir. It has also added weight to previous scientific studies that the Himalayan region is increasingly facing snow droughts.

A 2025 study found that snowfall in the north western Himalayas has decreased by 25% in the past five years compared to the 40-year average between 1980 to 2020 while........

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