Srinagar, Dec 28: Kashmir Valley woke up to a blanket of heavy snow on Saturday morning, with south and central Kashmir bearing the brunt of the unpredicted weather event.
The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Srinagar station had forecast light rain and snowfall for the region on December 27 and 28, but the valley experienced over two feet of snow in some areas, catching residents, authorities, and travelers completely off guard.
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The failure of weather models to predict this intense spell of snow has raised serious questions about the accuracy and preparedness of the meteorological forecasting system in the region.
Meteorologists and independent weather forecasters acknowledged gaps in prediction models, saying the surprise snowfall was due to the region’s unique and variable weather patterns.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said they rely on global models from Europe, the US, Japan, and others for forecasting.
“None of the models, whether Indian or global, indicated snowfall of this magnitude,” Dr Mukhtar Ahmad admitted.
He said models indicated some precipitation in the Jammu and Chenab Valley regions, but there was no significant indication of such heavy snowfall in south Kashmir.
Faizan Arif, an independent weather forecaster, called for enhanced infrastructure and investment in modern meteorological technology to avoid such forecasting errors in the future.
“Advanced meteorological infrastructure and technology are urgently needed in the region,” said Arif. He said the absence of state-of-the-art equipment limits the ability to accurately predict such extreme weather events.