‘Unusual’ orange alert 2nd time in a month disrupts Char Dham yatra in peak season

Dehradun: May is supposed to be the peak time for the Char Dham yatra—when the largest surge of pilgrims arrive at the four Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. This year, that assumption has not held.Unseasonal rain, snowfall, and repeated thunderstorm activity have made this year’s pilgrimage season unusually turbulent from the outset, with erratic weather disrupting helicopter services, slowing pilgrim movement, and forcing repeated advisories from the state government. An orange alert— typically associated with the monsoon months, not May—has been issued by the India Meteorological Department for May 12 and 13, forecasting heavy rain, hail, lightning, and gusty winds of 40 to 60 kmph across Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, and Pithoragarh districts. Fresh snowfall is also expected at higher reaches above 4,000 metres.It is the second such orange alert this month. A similar warning had been issued in the first week of May, when the Char Dham districts also witnessed snowfall—again uncharacteristic of the season.“We are witnessing an unusual western disturbance pattern affecting the Himalayan region,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change) at Skymet Weather. “Typically, western disturbances move towards higher latitudes during May, following the seasonal shift of the sun. However, this time, they are travelling at comparatively lower latitudes, which is triggering unusual and intense weather activity across the Himalayas.”Palawat added that the roots of this disruption go back to winter. “During the winter season, the Himalayas witnessed fewer western disturbances than normal. The jet stream had shifted to higher latitudes, causing most western disturbances to largely miss the Himalayan region. Now the pattern has changed significantly—these disturbances are dipping southwards and impacting lower latitudes, resulting in freak weather conditions in the Himalayan states.”CS Tomar, director of the regional meteorological centre in Dehradun, said that pilgrims should remain cautious near vulnerable hill slopes and stay updated on weather conditions before travelling. Echoing the caution, Garhwal commissioner, Vinay Shankar Pandey, said in an advisory that pilgrims should check forecasts before setting out. Local administration, police, and disaster management teams have also been placed on alert, with personnel closely monitoring landslide-prone stretches along the yatra routes, officials said.