For a Valley that has long measured winter not just by cold but by the depth of snow, the continuing lack of snowfall in the plains, including in Srinagar is unsettling. The plains have gone snowless despite several weather predictions to the contrary. Forecasts spoke of snowfall on New Year’s Eve, but nothing happened. What arrived instead was a familiar, increasingly troubling pattern: dry skies, biting cold, and a winter that feels incomplete.

Yes, the upper reaches tell a different story. Gulmarg and other high-altitude areas have received snowfall, enough to sustain winter tourism........

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