Kathmandu, Oct. 29: Heavy snowfall has blanketed country’s high mountain regions, while lower areas have been affected by
continuous rain since Monday night, causing disruptions to tourism and extensive damage to crops ready for harvest.
The Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) said that the ongoing weather pattern is influenced by a low-pressure system that developed in the Arabian sea and remains until Wednesday.
According to Barun Paudel, a meteorologist at the Division, the current system has brought heavy snowfall to the highland areas of districts including Gorkha, Solukhumbu, Jumla, Humla, Kalikot, Mustang and Jajarkot. The system has also brought light to moderate rainfall to the low-lying areas of Gandaki, Lumbini and Karnali districts, Paudel said.
Another system, Cyclonic Storm Montha, which developed over the Bay of Bengal, is expected to enter the country within two days, bringing a large amount of moisture that is likely to trigger widespread precipitation across the country.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) has issued an alert warning of potential impacts from Cyclone Montha between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning.
Issuing an alert on Tuesday, Shanti Mahat, spokesperson for the NDRRMA, said that the cyclonic storm’s influence is expected to significantly increase the water flow in the Bagmati, Kamala, Koshi, and Kankai rivers and their tributaries.
She said there is also a risk of flash floods in small rivers and streams that flow through the Mahabharat and Chure regions of Koshi, Bagmati, and Madhes provinces.
According to the NDRRMA, the alert covers districts across Koshi, Madhes and Bagmati provinces.
Tourism hit by heavy snowfall
Unseasonal snowfall has severely disrupted tourism activities in several high-altitude destinations. In Mustang, heavy snow since Monday morning has blanketed the Muktinath Temple, an important pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists, in up to five inches of snow.
Pilgrims and tourists have been advised to remain inside, as vehicle movement has been halted along the Kagbeni-Muktinath road section.
“Currently, pilgrims cannot go to the temple due to the heavy snowfall. We have cautioned them as there is a high risk of accidents,” said Pramesh Gurung, Ward Chairperson of Waragung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality-1.
The District Administration Office (DAO) in Mustang has requested trekkers to avoid high Himalayan
trails for the next three days, citing rescue challenges and potential weather hazards.
Snowfall has also been reported in the Annapurna region of Myagdi, forcing a complete halt to the Annapurna Base Camp trekking route.
District Police Chief Surya Bahadur Thapa said that rescue teams of police and local guides have been mobilised to assist and bring back trekkers stranded on the trail.
In the Khumbu region of Solukhumbu, snowfall has affected tourist movement in key trekking areas including Sagarmatha Base Camp, Tengboche and Lobuche.
According to Lamakaji Sherpa, Chair of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, around 1,000 foreign trekkers and their support staff have been impacted.
Local authorities have urged tourists to stay indoors until weather conditions improve.
In northern Gorkha, heavy snowfall has blanketed several villages in Chum Nubri Rural Municipality, affecting both residents and trekkers heading toward the Manaslu Circuit and Larkya Pass. Local officials have asked tourists to postpone trekking until the snowfall stops.
Farmers hit hard by rain
The unseasonal rain has also brought despair to farmers across the country, as it coincides with the paddy harvest season. In the Kalikot district, incessant rainfall has destroyed harvested paddy crops that farmers had laid out in fields for drying.
In Jajarkot, the rain has damaged ripening and harvested paddy in several local bodies, including Bheri Municipality and Nalgad Rural Municipality. Farmer Babi Karki said that the paddy ready for harvest has been soaked, and if rain continues, most of the crops will rot.
Similarly, in Karnali Province, snowfall in the upper districts of Humla, Jumla, Mugu and Dolpa has been accompanied by rainfall in lower regions like Surkhet and Jajarkot, soaking paddy crops lying in the fields after Tihar. The temperature in high mountain settlements such as Limi and Lapcha in Humla has dropped below freezing, with roads to remote areas blocked due to snow accumulation.
– The Rising Nepal