J&K logs 7th consecutive dry winter

Jammu and Kashmir has recorded its seventh straight winter rainfall deficit, a trend experts describe as a climate-driven shift in the region’s seasonal precipitation patterns.

- Khalid Gul

According to the Meteorological Department, the December 2025 to February 2026 season ended 65 percent below normal, with 100.6 mm of precipitation recorded against a seasonal average of 284.9 mm.

“This is the seventh consecutive winter that has ended in deficit,” said Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of the Meteorological Centre Srinagar. “Such persistence over seven years is highly unusual and indicates a clear shift in winter precipitation behaviour, consistent with broader climate change signals.”

In Kashmir, winter begins in December.

The 40-day stretch from December 21 to January 29 is considered the harshest phase, when temperatures plunge and snowfall is typically at its peak.

The period is locally known as Chilai Kalan, or “the large cold,” followed by the milder Chilai Khurd or small cold and a 10-day transition called Chilai Bacha or baby cold.