The WeatherBlog starts the season with an apology: Namely, he hasn't been following the Alpine weather lately because he was on a business trip in the Himalayas for a while and had neither internet access nor the corresponding leisure time there, has only recently returned and is drowning in emails to be processed and other work. Yes, exactly, these are excuses. As my colleague Orakel seems to have everything under control here in Germany and the WeatherBlog hasn't quite mentally returned yet, this time it's all about a different mountain region. Nepal is largely made up of mountains. Mountains and hills make up an even larger proportion of the country than in Austria or Switzerland. The mountains run more or less from west to (south)east. While the main Alpine ridge acts as a weather divide, the Himalayas live on a much larger footing and can call themselves a climate divide. It blocks dry, arctic air from the north as well as the monsoon from the south. To the north there is an arid mountain climate (Tibet/China), to the south (India) it is warm, humid and mainly characterized by the monsoon. In Nepal, you can generally assume that it rains in the rainy season and not otherwise. The WeatherBlog has been asked several times by local colleagues when it is actually the rainy season in Europe. The answer - every few days - elicited reactions ranging from doubt to bewilderment.
If you look at Nepal on the map, or even if you sit in a beach bar in Pokhara surrounded by western trekking tourists, marijuana haze and the greatest hits of Woodstock, you might think that it's not really that different here to the Alps, apart from the rainy season, which takes a bit of getting used to.
In contrast to the Alpine countries, however, Nepal is a so-called developing country. You could now choose all kinds of areas of life as examples to concretize what this means, but let's stick to the weather and mountain sports.
Cyclone Hudhud
The extreme rainfall in the Southern Alps during the last few months has been perceived as a PowderAlert and as daily reports on radio and television. In addition to the omnipresent weather reports, there were special storm warnings. Sports activities were adjusted accordingly - after all, we usually check the weather before we do anything. Nepal was hit by the foothills of Cyclone Hudhud in mid-October and in some mountain regions it snowed a lot in a short space of time as a result. This, too, was not unexpected and was entirely predictable. Nevertheless, at least 43 people who were hiking in the mountains died. Around half of the fatalities were foreign trekkers, the rest were local porters and trekking guides. 518 people, 304 of them foreigners, had to be rescued from the snow in over 70 helicopter flights (source).
What happened?
Cyclone Hudhud was already making international headlines before it reached the Indian coast. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal have had disastrous effects in India in the past. In 1999, 10,000 people died in one such storm. India is sensitized to tropical cyclones, there are early warning systems and nationwide evacuations. Hudhud and Phailin at the same time last year caused great devastation in India, but there were only a few deaths in relation to the strength of the cyclones because the warning system works.
On October 8, the major Indian newspapers warned of Hudhud. The path is predicted with a high degree of accuracy. On October 9, there are first forecasts showing that the Nepalese Midwest Development Region will be affected, but not in Nepalese media. On October 10, Hudhud officially becomes a category 3 storm, reaching the Indian coast in Vishakapatnam on October 11, with worldwide coverage on October 11 and 12. On October 13, Nepalese television reports that people should possibly harvest their crops as rain or snow is imminent. The weather forecast of the major newspaper Republica reads "Generally cloudy, brief showers and thunderstorms possible in some areas in the east and central regions and in a few areas in the west."
On October 14, trekkers begin to ascend the popular Annapurna Circuit to Thorung La Pass, although it is already snowing. The media report rain caused by Hudhud. Snow and extreme amounts of precipitation are not mentioned, there are no explicit warnings.
The Annapurna Circuit is an easy trek, the only problem is usually the altitude. At around 5400 m, the Thorung La Pass is the highest point. There are lodges and teahouses along the way, but hardly anyone has a tent and stove with them. Many trekkers seek shelter from the snow in a small tea hut at the pass, but the hut is quickly full and some decide to descend. This costs many their lives. Most people die near Thorung La, with more deaths in the Nar-Phu region, at Dhaulagiri Base Camp and near Dolpa. The main causes were probably avalanches and hypothermia as well as carbon monoxide poisoning. The latter happens when people cook in unventilated tents.
And what is the WeatherBlog trying to tell us with all this?
Perhaps simply that we should sometimes remember how privileged we actually are. Or that we should keep in mind where we are actually going when we travel. To put it bluntly, Nepal lives from tourism and development aid. Mountain sports are anything but popular sports here. Although there is a historical mountain culture, it has a lot to do with survival in agricultural settlements at 5,000 meters and very little to do with summit conquests as a leisure activity. Modern mountain culture is primarily a service culture. There are very experienced local guides, but there are also many guides and porters who are completely overwhelmed by even minor problems or surprises on the mountain. As a foreign visitor, you should remember that you have a certain responsibility for yourself and others and not glorify the hired porter, who carries 30 kilos in flip-flops and a T-shirt at 5,000 meters, as a mythical Sherpa god.
And what about the local weather?
Sunshine and no fresh snow expected up to and including the weekend. In the areas covered by the oracle there is already a more than usable base and the Austrian glaciers are also starting to get it, although the conditions there are more like what you would expect in mid-November. As a reminder: little snow and early winter does not mean that there are no avalanches yet.
More on the situation in the Alps next week. We promise.
