🔗 Share this article

Bright skies, calm breezes and a breathtaking vista of Himalayan summits covered in white powder - that is the fall experience that trekkers on the world's highest peak have come to love.

But this appears to be shifting.

Shifting Weather Patterns

Climate scientists indicate the monsoon now extends into autumn, which is historically the high-altitude travel season.

During this prolonged tail end of the rainy season, they have recorded at least one episode of extreme rainfall almost every year for the past decade, with high-altitude weather becoming increasingly hazardous.

Latest Emergency on Everest

Last weekend, a unexpected snowstorm trapped hundreds of tourists near the east-facing side of Everest for days in bitterly cold temperatures at an elevation of more than 4,900m.

Nearly 600 hikers were escorted to safety by the end of that week, according to sources.

A single individual had died from hypothermia and altitude sickness, but the others were said to be in good health.

Comparable Incidents Across the Region

The emergency was on the Tibetan slope but something similar had occurred on the southern side, where a South Korean mountaineer lost his life on another Himalayan summit.

The world learned after some delay because communication lines were hit by torrential rains and heavy snowfall.

Authorities estimate that mudslides and flash floods in the country have claimed the lives of approximately sixty people over the past seven days.

"It is highly atypical for autumn when we expect the weather to remain clear," commented Riten Jangbu Sherpa.

Economic Consequences

Given autumn represents the preferred period, frequent storms like these have "affected our trekking and climbing industry," he added.

The rainy period in northern India and the Himalayan nation typically continues from June to mid-September, but not anymore.

"Our data shows that most of the annual cycles in the previous ten years have had monsoons lasting until the middle of October, which is definitely a shift," said a senior weather official.

Increasing Climate Extremes

More concerning is the intense precipitation and snow the tail end of the season produces, like it occurred recently on 4 and 5 October.

At elevation in the mountain range, such extreme weather means snowstorms and snowstorms, which represents a huge danger for trekking, climbing and tourism.

Personal Experiences

That's what occurred last weekend when the weather shifted very abruptly - the air currents began howling, mercury readings dropped sharply and sightlines dropped significantly.

The trail that had easily led the hikers to what should have been a stunning pitstop was now covered in snow and extremely difficult to navigate.

Still, one hiker, who had hiked these mountains more than a twelve times, reported he had "not once experienced conditions like these" before.

Scientific Explanations

One major factor is the increased amount of moisture in the atmosphere because of how the planet has been heating up, scientists explain.

That has led to torrential rains over a short span of time, often after a prolonged period without rain – in contrast to in the previous era when monsoon showers were spread uniformly over four months.

A Intensified Monsoon

Weather specialists say the monsoons in South Asia at times seem to have become more intense because they are increasingly coming into contact with another atmospheric phenomenon, the westerly disturbance.

This is a atmospheric depression that forms in the Mediterranean region and moves east - it transports chillier temperatures that brings rains and sometimes snow to the subcontinent, neighboring countries and the Himalayan region.

Global Change Impacts

Researchers have also discovered that in a heating world, the increasing interaction between westerly disturbances and monsoons is causing an additional atypical outcome.

The warmer atmosphere is pushing the weather systems higher, which means these weather systems are now capable to pass over the Himalayas and affect the Tibetan plateau and additional regions that previously experienced less so much precipitation before.

"What's changed is the predictability of weather patterns; we can't assume that conditions will behave the identical from season to season," said an experienced expedition guide.

"That means flexible scheduling, immediate decision-making, and knowledgeable guidance [in the Himalayas] have become even more essential."