🔗 Share this article

Bright skies, gentle breezes and a breathtaking view of Himalayan peaks covered in snow - that is the autumn experience that hikers on the world's highest peak have grown to adore.

However that appears to be shifting.

Shifting Climate Conditions

Meteorologists say the monsoon now stretches into autumn, which is traditionally the high-altitude tourism season.

Throughout this delayed conclusion of the rainy season, they have recorded at least one episode of heavy rainfall nearly every year for the previous decade, with mountain weather becoming increasingly risky.

Recent Crisis on Everest

Recently, a shock blizzard stranded hundreds of tourists near the eastern side of Mount Everest for days in bitterly cold temperatures at an elevation of more than 4,900m.

Almost six hundred trekkers were escorted to safety by the conclusion of that week, according to reports.

One person had died from extreme cold and altitude sickness, but the others were said to be in good health.

Comparable Events Across the Region

This was on the northern slope but a comparable situation had developed on the Nepal slope, where a Korean climber lost his life on Mera Peak.

The international community found out much later because communication lines were disrupted by torrential rains and significant snow accumulation.

Officials estimate that mudslides and flash floods in the region have killed approximately sixty people over the previous week.

"It is very atypical for October during which we expect the skies to remain calm," stated Riten Jangbu Sherpa.

Business Consequences

Given this is the preferred season, frequent storms like these have "affected our mountaineering and mountaineering industry," he added.

The rainy period in the Indian subcontinent and the Himalayan nation typically lasts from early summer to early autumn, but no longer.

"Our data demonstrates that most of the annual cycles in the previous ten years have had rainy seasons lasting until the middle of October, which is certainly a change," explained a high-ranking meteorology expert.

Increasing Weather Severity

More worrying is the intense rain and snowfall the tail end of the season brings, like it did this time on early October.

At elevation in the Himalayas, such extreme conditions means blizzards and winter storms, which constitutes a significant risk for trekking, climbing and the travel industry.

Personal Experiences

That's what occurred recently when the weather shifted very abruptly - the winds began roaring, temperatures dropped sharply and sightlines decreased significantly.

The path that had comfortably led the trekkers to what was expected to be a stunning pitstop was now buried in white accumulation and impossible to traverse.

Nevertheless, one hiker, who had hiked the Himalayas more than a twelve occasions, said he had "not once experienced weather like this" before.

Scientific Explanations

One major factor is the higher amount of humidity in the air because of how the world has been warming, scientists explain.

This has contributed to heavy precipitation over a brief period of time, often after a prolonged period without rain – in contrast to in the past when seasonal rains were distributed uniformly over four months.

A Intensified Monsoon

Climate experts say the rainy seasons in the region at occasions seem to have become more intense because they are increasingly coming into contact with an additional atmospheric phenomenon, the western weather pattern.

This is a low pressure system that originates in the Mediterranean area and moves eastward - it carries chillier temperatures that brings precipitation and occasionally snowfall to the subcontinent, Pakistan and Nepal.

Climate Change Effects

Scientists have also discovered that in a heating planet, the increasing interaction between western weather systems and seasonal rains is causing another atypical result.

The hotter air is forcing the weather systems higher, which means these weather systems are now capable to pass over the Himalayas and reach Tibet and additional areas that previously experienced less so much precipitation before.

"The transformation is the predictability of patterns; we can't assume that situations will occur the same from season to season," said an seasoned expedition guide.

"That means flexible planning, real-time choices, and experienced leadership [in the Himalayas] have become increasingly important."