Anomalous Weather Events in Central Himalaya: Real-World Observations and Some Questions

The central sector of the Himalayan province is witnessing inordinately frequent incidences of extreme weather, unending cycles of prolonged droughts and very short spells of excessive rainfall over geographically limited areas, absence of ‘April Showers’ before the onset of summer monsoon, and delayed arrival of the Indian summer monsoon. Are these happenings related to merely the rise in atmospheric and surface temperatures due to global warming, or are they caused by the excess presence of biogenic carbon generated by rampant burning of agricultural residues and wastes, and uncontrolled forest fires? One would also like to know whether the western disturbances and/or the mid-latitude interactions have a role in these distressing developments. The simplistic answer that all these anomalous happenings are ‘the combined effect of global warming enhanced by anthropogenic influences’ is hardly convincing to the laymen who solicit answers to these questions from experts – in a language free from technical jargon.