Is the snow coming?
Thimphu is experiencing lesser and lighter snowfall recalls elders
Pictures of Bumthang under a thin blanket of snow on Friday were circulating on the social media making the capital’s resident envious.
With winter at its heights, Thimphu residents are waiting for the soft snowflakes and a first snowfall holiday.
While many are quick to assume that the snow will not arrive in the city from the surrounding hills, it is not late for the white fluffy flakes to settle on the rooftops and the surrounding.
According to available records, Thimphu experiences its first snowfall by late January. One of the earliest snowfalls was on December 25 in 1991. The snow didn’t last long but covered the surrounding hills. Another was on January 9, two years later in 1993. In 1995 the first snowfall recorded was on January 25. In the last decade, the first snowfall recorded in December was in 2009.
The snowfall pattern, according to a research carried out by the then Chief of Snow and Glacier division of the hydro-met department, Chimi Dorji and his college Ugyen Chophel, the median annual start date of snowfall in Thimphu was January 20. This was based on the years they studied, from 1991 to 2014. The white flakes are teasing the capital’s residents settling on the hilltops, but going by people who have resided in the city for many years, Thimphu is seeing lesser and lesser snowfall. Even if it snows, it hardly lasts, they say.
A Babesa resident, Gyeltshen said that snow was a big problem in the past. “It is not like today where people wait to play in the snow. It would snow for days and create problems,” he said.
Giving a layman’s perspective of climate change, Gyeltshen said Thimphu has become warmer. His logic is based on the absence of the Chunka (chough) a bird that villagers believed indicated snowfall. “You hardly see these birds today.”
Thinley Namgay, 43, recalls how during winter vacation they used to play on ice sheets in the shadow of the houses or ridges in the fields that would not melt for weeks. “We used to call it skating and the ice used to be thick,” he said. “One time we made a snowman that lasted for weeks. Our parents went to Bodh Gaya and we wanted them to see the snow. They saw it,” he said.
According to records, Thimphu experienced six inches of snowfall on January 25 in 1997.
A Motithang resident said it would be difficult to drive to town at this time of the year. “The road would be very slippery with ice. When it snows, its terrible,” he said. Asked if it was due to Thimphu becoming warmer, he said he would leave that to expert.
It may be bitter cold in Thimphu, but snow not settling could be blamed on the urban heat, which makes it difficult for snow to settle unless it snows heavily and for a long duration. The increasing vehicular pollution, congested settlement and increasing human activity make urban areas warmer than the surrounding areas.
According to the chief, climate change division of National Environment Commission, Thinley Namgay the less snowfall in Thimphu could be due to global warming. The snow on the mountains are melting and this can be seen from our mountain passes which used to remain closed due to heavy snowfall in the past during winter are not affected now.
Another reason he said could be attributed to urban island heat effect due to the valley turning into a city. “Here there are more houses, people, cars and heating appliances etc. which produces more heat and this heat could be reason for Thimphu having no snowfall as it melts the snow before it reaches the surface,” he said. However, he said there are no clear data to support this reason.
But it is not only in the core city that snow is not settling. “The snowfall are not heavy as before,” recalls a villager turned landlord in Olakha. Aum Tshering recalls how heavy snowfalls used to be in the past. “It used to last for days and we used to struggle finding firewood for our bukharis,” she said.
Aum Tshering also recalls how it would snow when it was paddy seedling sowing time (late February). “I remember seeing snow in March when we went to school.”
According to Chimi Dorji’s study, it snowed in March in 1998. But Aum Tshering cannot remember the year.
Another villagers noted that the tradition of forcing meal from a neighbour during snowfall has vanished because there is lesser snow. Villager used to wrap the ingredients of a meal in snow and quietly put it at the back of the neighbour’s traditional stove. They would then shout to the neighbour to check the stove. The house owner would have to cook a meal as a treat in return.
Thimphu is experiencing lesser and lighter snowfall recalls elders
Pictures of Bumthang under a thin blanket of snow on Friday were circulating on the social media making the capital’s resident envious.
With winter at its heights, Thimphu residents are waiting for the soft snowflakes and a first snowfall holiday.
While many are quick to assume that the snow will not arrive in the city from the surrounding hills, it is not late for the white fluffy flakes to settle on the rooftops and the surrounding.
According to available records, Thimphu experiences its first snowfall by late January. One of the earliest snowfalls was on December 25 in 1991. The snow didn’t last long but covered the surrounding hills. Another was on January 9, two years later in 1993. In 1995 the first snowfall recorded was on January 25. In the last decade, the first snowfall recorded in December was in 2009.
The snowfall pattern, according to a research carried out by the then Chief of Snow and Glacier division of the hydro-met department, Chimi Dorji and his college Ugyen Chophel, the median annual start date of snowfall in Thimphu was January 20. This was based on the years they studied, from 1991 to 2014. The white flakes are teasing the capital’s residents settling on the hilltops, but going by people who have resided in the city for many years, Thimphu is seeing lesser and lesser snowfall. Even if it snows, it hardly lasts, they say.
A Babesa resident, Gyeltshen said that snow was a big problem in the past. “It is not like today where people wait to play in the snow. It would snow for days and create problems,” he said.
Giving a layman’s perspective of climate change, Gyeltshen said Thimphu has become warmer. His logic is based on the absence of the Chunka (chough) a bird that villagers believed indicated snowfall. “You hardly see these birds today.”
Thinley Namgay, 43, recalls how during winter vacation they used to play on ice sheets in the shadow of the houses or ridges in the fields that would not melt for weeks. “We used to call it skating and the ice used to be thick,” he said. “One time we made a snowman that lasted for weeks. Our parents went to Bodh Gaya and we wanted them to see the snow. They saw it,” he said.
According to records, Thimphu experienced six inches of snowfall on January 25 in 1997.
A Motithang resident said it would be difficult to drive to town at this time of the year. “The road would be very slippery with ice. When it snows, its terrible,” he said. Asked if it was due to Thimphu becoming warmer, he said he would leave that to expert.
It may be bitter cold in Thimphu, but snow not settling could be blamed on the urban heat, which makes it difficult for snow to settle unless it snows heavily and for a long duration. The increasing vehicular pollution, congested settlement and increasing human activity make urban areas warmer than the surrounding areas.
According to the chief, climate change division of National Environment Commission, Thinley Namgay the less snowfall in Thimphu could be due to global warming. The snow on the mountains are melting and this can be seen from our mountain passes which used to remain closed due to heavy snowfall in the past during winter are not affected now.
Another reason he said could be attributed to urban island heat effect due to the valley turning into a city. “Here there are more houses, people, cars and heating appliances etc. which produces more heat and this heat could be reason for Thimphu having no snowfall as it melts the snow before it reaches the surface,” he said. However, he said there are no clear data to support this reason.
But it is not only in the core city that snow is not settling. “The snowfall are not heavy as before,” recalls a villager turned landlord in Olakha. Aum Tshering recalls how heavy snowfalls used to be in the past. “It used to last for days and we used to struggle finding firewood for our bukharis,” she said.
Aum Tshering also recalls how it would snow when it was paddy seedling sowing time (late February). “I remember seeing snow in March when we went to school.”
According to Chimi Dorji’s study, it snowed in March in 1998. But Aum Tshering cannot remember the year.
Another villagers noted that the tradition of forcing meal from a neighbour during snowfall has vanished because there is lesser snow. Villager used to wrap the ingredients of a meal in snow and quietly put it at the back of the neighbour’s traditional stove. They would then shout to the neighbour to check the stove. The house owner would have to cook a meal as a treat in return.
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