Winter Storms in the Central Himalayas

Based on observations from a hydrometeorological network on the eastern slopes of the Annapurna Range, nearly all the annual precipitation at low elevations (< 2000 m MSL) in Nepal is in liquid form, even during the winter. However, high elevations (> 3000 m MSL) can receive up to 40% of their annual precipitation as snowfall during the winter, with the highest altitude stations (@4000 m MSL and above) having the most total winter precipitation (which can exceed 100 cm). Significant snowstorms are associated with terrain-locked low-pressure systems that form when an upper-level disturbance passes over the notch formed by the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains (the so-called Western Disturbances), causing upper-level SW flow over central Nepal and orographically forced precipitation. Based on these results, a 30-year (1973–2002) climatology of these notch depressions is developed and reveals that significant interannual variability in central Himalayan winter storms exists. Weak but statistically significant correlation between notch depressions and the Polar/Eurasia teleconnection pattern was found, suggesting that the strength of the circumpolar vortex may affect the number of depressions passing through the Himalayan region. A typical snow event (11 February 2000) was the subject of an observational and modeling case study. Local precipitation (snow and rain) and other meteorological observations, as well as satellite (Meteosat-5 and TRMM) and NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis data were used, along with a cloud-resolving model with realistic topography. This study shows that significant wintertime precipitation only occurs in the central Himalayas when the large-scale flow evolves to a favorable geometry with respect to the mountains.