Rains, snow affect life in mountains

By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Jan. 5: Normal life in various mountainous districts as well as in low-lying areas has been affected by snowfall and fog since Sunday. Westerly winds have caused snowfall in mountainous districts, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM).
The weather turned generally hazy and cloudy in most parts of the country on Monday due to the influence of the westerly wind, meteorologists said.
Senior meteorologist at DHM, Min Kumar Aryal said that many parts of the country have witnessed the development of a low-pressure system due to the effect of the westerly winds. It has caused high chances of rain and snowfall in most parts of the country since Sunday, he added.
According to Ganga Nagarkoti, a meteorologist at DHM, there would be light rain in some parts of the mountain region and low-lying areas including Kathmandu Valley on Monday night to Tuesday morning and snowfall in high Himalaya regions. Most Himalayan ranges of Gandaki, Karnali and Far-western Providences have witnessed light to moderate show-fall from Sunday and will do so till Wednesday, Nagarkoti said.
Aryal said that mountain region which is above 3000 metres sees snowfall as weather parameter turns into snow. Around the Valley, there might be chances of snowfall in Shivapuri and Chandragiri as they are above 2800 metres high, he added.
The present situation remains as usual in Himalayan regions till Wednesday but it will gradually be clear in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces from Wednesday. The weather all over the country will be cleared from Thursday as the westerly wind moves out of Nepal, Nagarkoti said.
Nagarkoti said there was a possibility of partial to moderate clouds and haze in Sudurpaschim, Karnali, Lumbini and Gandaki provinces. There are also high chances of light rainfall in the hilly and low-lying areas of the country, she added.
After this, as Nagarkoti said, there was a high possibility of a slight drop in maximum and minimum temperatures due to rain and snowfall. With slight rainfall and haze, temperatures might fall across the country for a few days, she said.
Meanwhile, in Humla passengers have been stranded due to the closure of air transport, the only means of transportation. The air service has been closed due to continuous snowfall since Sunday.
Chief District Officer Chiranjeevi Giri said air traffic was suspended due to heavy snowfall in the district. He said there had been no flights on Monday as well after a sudden change in the weather since Sunday morning. Air traffic was disrupted as the airport was covered by snow.
Sita, Summit and Tara Air used to conduct up to 15 flights daily from Nepalgunj to Surkhet but not a single flight was operated on Monday.
Cargo businessman Homraj Bham said Monday that no flight could operate in Mugu, another district of Karnali Province, on Monday. He said that no flight could take place as the airport was covered with snow. Passengers have been affected due to the closure of the air service, he added.
Similarly, snowfall has closed the Hilsa area on the border with China. The area has been closed after heavy snow covered the road in Nara Lake since Sunday.
Even though it was possible to reach Hilsa from Nara Lake until Saturday, which is 4,600 metres high, it was closed after the snowfall, said Armed Police Inspector Suraj KC of the Border Security Post (BOP).
Some 28 Nepalis live in Hilsa. Security personnel and other people in the area were not able to leave their homes due to extreme cold.
Meanwhile, in Jumla, snowfall has started since Sunday night. One foot of snow has fallen in the high mountainous region while normal frost has been observed in low altitude.
The snowfall has caused a dip in temperature and affected people's lives. Snow has frozen in Khalanga, the district headquarters.
It has been getting cold in Jumla for a week now. At present, the temperature in Jumla has dropped to minus from zero, according to the DHM. The minimum temperature in Jumla on Sunday was minus 3.8 degrees Celsius.
In Dolpa, there has been little snowfall in the high settlements on Monday. The farmers are happy with the snowfall but the cold has affected the lives of people. The roads from one village to another are closed.
The people of Dolpa, who have been waiting for rain and snow for a long time, did not get rain on Monday as expected. There has been little snowfall in the highlands and little rain in the valleys.
Nima Gurung, Ward Chairperson of Shey Foksundo Village Municipality-8, said that snow has fallen in various high settlements of Dolpa including Tali, Rasi, Dho, Saldang, Charka Tangsong, Vijer, Tinje and Foksundo. According to him, the snowfall has affected people's lives as the temperature has fallen sharply.