It is snowing in Ladakh this March, when the season should already be shifting to spring.
Fresh white snowflakes are covering the towering peaks, turning the cold desert landscape into a stunning winter scene once more.
Dr Lobzang Chorol, an environmental researcher, shared photos of the snow-draped mountains against cloudy skies, with villages nestled in the valley below. She also expressed concern for the untimely spectacle. The snow on which many in the region count on is arriving late and vanishing fast.
For months, the Himalayas have faced a tough winter. Weaker western winds and warmer air meant less snow built up across high peaks in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and nearby areas.
Instead of thick layers that slowly melt and fill streams, what fell disappeared quickly.
In the past, heavy snow arrived between December and February and stayed long enough to recharge underground water and keep springs flowing through summer. Now the pattern has changed.
WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF LATE SNOW?
Late snow is experienced more frequently in numerous regions and often does not last due to the period it arrives in. Rising temperatures make it melt right away, leaving the ground dry when farmers and families need water most.
The shift is hitting daily life hard. Less snow means weaker groundwater and drying springs that villages depend on for drinking and irrigating fields.
Additionally, glaciers are shrinking too, raising the risk of sudden floods later.
Farmers growing apricots are worried as apricot trees need steady winter cold to produce good fruit, but changing weather has already cut harvests by 20 to 40 per cent in some spots.
A recent scientific study noted that even 50 millimetres less snow can leave unstable packs on the slopes, worsening the problems.
Mountain families in Ladakh are living through these changes every day. They watch the peaks closely, hoping for steadier weather ahead.
While this delayed spell of snow looks pretty, it reminds everyone that the Himalayas are rewriting their own story, one that calls for care and quick action to protect water, crops and the future of the communities facing the changing environment around them.
