no major storms... (am.26.jan.12)>

it is very normal for the month of january to alternate between wet, cold, stormy weather and periods of nice, mild sunshine.  fortunately, the past several days have been on the drier side, which has been a nice respite from the major amounts of both rain and snow which fell in the area earlier in the month.

there are a few minor disturbances scheduled to drift through northern india during these final several days of january, which could easily generate a few rain and/or snow showers.  however, significant, long-lasting winter storms are not expected at this time.

our temperatures will remain pleasant in the direct mid-day sunshine, but quite chilly under the clouds, and during the evening, overnight and early morning hours.

thanks again for all the great reports on our facebook page... keep 'em coming!!

winter doldrums... (am.19.jan.12)>

our weather pattern is still a bit messy... but most of the precipitation during the last several days has been in the form of rain in the immediate mcleod area.  in fact, there were several inches of rain during the early part of the week... along with some hail, sleet and a period or two of wet snow in a few spots.

suffice it to say that miserable winter weather is firmly entrenched... which is actually very normal for mid-january.

the good news is that there isn't any indication of another significant, long-lasting storm system threatening himachal pradesh for the next several days... at least.  temperatures will be rather pleasant during periods of mid-day sunshine, but will still be very chilly under cloud cover and during the overnight hours.

another one?... (am.13.jan.12)>

from all accounts, there has been significant improvement in conditions around the area during the past couple of days... some sunshine, melting snow, and open roadways.  it appears that last weekend's snowstorm was the biggest since january, 2005 in mcleod ganj, dharamkot and naddi... and the biggest in decades further down in the lower elevations of the kangra district.  THANK YOU to those of you who have been providing up-to-date information on our facebook page as the situation unfolded.  i am bummed out that i missed the snow, but not so upset that i missed the power cuts and infrastructural meltdowns that are a part of life when winter storms hit mcleod ganj!

well, believe it or not, there is yet another storm system heading our way... which may bring some significant rain and snow to the area on sunday and monday.  it is very difficult to determine where the rain/snow line will be, but based on what happened last weekend, it appears there's a good bet that snow will fall as low as 1500m (4800ft), if not lower.  please be prepared for inclement weather conditions to develop once again by the latter half of the coming weekend...

major snowfall... (pm.7.jan.12)>

a major snow event has been occurring during the past 18 hours or so, with knee-deep snow reported at upper TCV, and at least a few inches reported all the way down into dharamsala and other parts of the kangra valley.

the upper-level system responsible for the snowfall is now winding down and shifting east of himachal pradesh, but lingering moisture and a few minor disturbances will keep the chance of a few rain and snow showers in the forecast for the next couple of days.

temperatures have fallen to around 0C (32F), and will likely dip at least a couple of degrees further, especially overnight.  this is just about as cold and snowy as it gets around here, folks!  fortunately (or unfortunately), mcleod ganj is practically a ghost town now, due to the massive gathering in bodh gaya.

thanks to angela clyburn for her excellent "ground truth" updates over on facebook!

not so nice... (am.5.jan.12)>

this is indeed the time when the quiet, dry and sunny days of fall and early winter transition into the potentially wet and inclement days of mid-winter.  currently, there is a broad upper-level disturbance dominating the western himalayan region.  moisture continues to be rather limited, but the sheer dynamic energy of this system could stir up rain and snow showers from now into at least the first half of the weekend.

be especially on guard if you plan to be venturing above 2500m (8000ft), due to the decent chance of some accumulating snow.

in addition to the rain/snow chances... temperatures will continue to slide into the january abyss...