Record warmth in Kashmir puts orchards, water resources and livelihoods at risk

Daytime temperatures are soaring around 9°–10°C above normal across the Valley, shattering decades‑old climatic norms

Srinagar: Kashmir is in the grip of a deepening winter crisis as February 2026 has gone down as the warmest on record, with daytime temperatures soaring around 9°–10°C above normal across the Valley, shattering decades‑old climatic norms.

Instead of freezing winds and snow, Srinagar, Gulmarg and other parts of the Valley endured persistent warmth, with many places recording daytime highs in excess of 20°C — temperatures more associated with early spring than mid‑winter.

Meteorologists say the sustained warmth is not just an occasional spike but a pronounced departure from usual winter patterns.

“What we witnessed was not just isolated warm days, but a consistent rise in daytime temperatures throughout the month,” said Faizan Arif, an independent weather forecaster based in Srinagar, noting that this sustained heat pushed February’s average maximum temperatures into record territory across the Valley.

The climate anomaly has already begun to disrupt Kashmir’s agricultural calendar. Orchardists report that fruit trees — normally dormant until March — have burst into early bloom. For Kashmir’s horticulture sector, which is the backbone of the rural economy, this is a serious concern.

“Early flowering makes trees highly vulnerable to late frost damage and could severely affect fruit set and yields — this shift is a clear sign of warming stress on our orchards,” said Ali Mohammad, a horticulture expert, urging authorities to prepare for potential crop losses if temperatures plunge suddenly in the coming weeks.

Snow, long Kashmir’s natural reservoir, has been sparse across lower and mid‑altitude areas. The winter precipitation deficit has led to early melting of existing snowpack, with streams and springs receding earlier than normal.

Agriculturalists worry that reduced snowmelt will compromise water availability for irrigation and drinking supplies in the critically dry months ahead.

Winter tourism, another vital pillar of Kashmir’s economy, has been hit hard too. Ski slopes and winter trails around Gulmarg and Sonamarg have remained unusually bare, forcing cancellation of snow‑based packages. Hoteliers, guides and transport operators are reporting steep declines in bookings, leaving communities that depend on winter visitors facing economic stress.

Climate analysts attribute the anomaly to a combination of persistent high temperatures and a relative lack of strong western disturbances — the Mediterranean‑fed systems that traditionally bring snowfall to the western Himalayas.

While some snowfall is forecast at higher elevations later this month, experts caution that isolated snow events cannot reverse what appears to be a systemic shift in seasonal climate patterns.

For a region long celebrated for its snowy winters and orchard bounty, this unfolding warmth is more than a weather anomaly. It is a crisis that threatens livelihoods, water security and the very rhythm of life in the Valley, underscoring an urgent need for climate adaptation in agriculture, water management and tourism planning.