It feels like summer, when it is still winter in Kashmir! Flowers have started to bloom prematurely amid an unusual spike in daytime temperatures around 11 degrees above normal.

Is there a gloom amid the sunshine! The rising temperature in February, which is the highest maximum recorded in this month in a decade, must set alarm bells ringing.

J&K’s summer capital Srinagar on February 21 surpassed its all-time February maximum temperature record with 21 degrees Celsius. Srinagar’s previous February high of 20.6 degrees Celsius was recorded on February 24, 2016. Gulmarg in north Kashmir surpassed its previous February record, recording 11.6 degrees Celsius on Friday and 11.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The ski-resort temperature is 9.6 and 9.5 degrees above normal, respectively. The earlier high of 11.4 degrees Celsius was set in February 11, 1993. Similarly mercury in Qazigund in south Kashmir reached 21 degrees Celsius which is 10.9 degrees above normal, breaking the previous record of 20.7 degrees Celsius. Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded 18.4 degrees Celsius — 9.6 degrees above normal.

Well there are clear indicators of climate change amid unusually warmer and dry winters. Experts have sounded an alarm over the rise in temperatures in winter. The winter duration has clearly reduced and now snowfall has been confined to J&K’s mostly upper reaches during the 40-day harshest period known as Chillai Kalan. Sudden spike in temperature has led to earlier melting of snow on mountains increasing flow in water bodies.

Snowmelt accounts for 50% of stream flow in........

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