Unanticipated Dry Spell Challenges Gulmarg’s Snow Tourism: A Closer Look at Climate Anomalies

&NewLine;<p>January 16&comma; 2024&colon; The picturesque landscapes of Gulmarg&comma; nestled in the enchanting Kashmir Valley&comma; are currently witnessing an unexpected dry spell that is casting a shadow over its famed snow-covered slopes&period; With a significant 79 percent shortfall in December rainfall and a noticeable absence of expected snowfall&comma; the region is grappling with the impacts of El Niño&comma; disrupting the usual climatic patterns&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The dry spell&comma; attributed to the El Niño phenomenon&comma; is causing concern among many resorts in Gulmarg that heavily rely on skiing and other winter sports activities as their main attractions&period; The shortfall in snowfall&comma; a key element in the region&&num;8217&semi;s tourism industry&comma; has led to apprehensions of a serious blow if the dry spell continues&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The World Meteorological Organization &lpar;WMO&rpar; has reported 2023 as the warmest year on record&comma; anticipating the intensification of the El Niño event in 2024&period; El Niño occurs when sea surface temperatures are elevated in the eastern tropical Pacific&comma; accompanied by a weakening of trade winds&period; The prolonged absence of snowfall disrupts the annual snow cycle&comma; potentially causing socio-economic repercussions if it persists&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The India Meteorological Department &lpar;IMD&rpar; attributes the dry spell to the lack of Western Disturbances &lpar;WDs&rpar; and predicts minimal snowfall until mid-January&period; The expected WD on January 9-10 is unlikely to offer substantial relief&comma; raising concerns about the increasing frequency of such rapid weather changes&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The situation on the ground in Gulmarg reflects the tangible impact of the dry spell on the region&&num;8217&semi;s tourism and business&period; Junaid Rafiquee&comma; owner of Black Bear Brew&comma; a popular cafe in Gulmarg&comma; expressed his concern over the lack of snow this season&comma; disrupting their usual winter season operations&period; The cafe&comma; known for its &&num;8220&semi;pre-ski coffee&comma;&&num;8221&semi; usually attracts foreign tourists during this season&comma; but the absence of snow and closed resorts have led to a disrupted season&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Despite the challenges&comma; Rafiquee and other local business owners remain hopeful that Gulmarg will experience decent snowfall in the remaining days of Chilai Kalan&comma; drawing parallels with a similar scare in 2018 that saw late-season snow&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>However&comma; the situation presents a double bind for businesses like Black Bear Brew&period; While they await snow&comma; foreign tourists are already canceling their bookings&comma; adding an additional layer of uncertainty to an already challenging scenario&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>As Gulmarg grapples with the unexpected weather patterns and their impact on tourism&comma; the resilience of the local community and hope for a late-season snowfall stand as beacons amid the challenges posed by the unanticipated dry spell&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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