It's January at a Big Himalayan Resort. Where's the snow?

Every morning, Ishfaaq Ahmad Malik, a ski instructor in Indian-controlled Kashmir, opens his bedroom window and, like many others in the region, wonders: Where is the snow?

“This has never happened before in January. Not in my lifetime,” says 65-year-old Malik. “Certainly not in Gulmarg.”

Every winter, Gulmarg, one of Asia's largest and highest ski resort towns, attracts thousands of skiers, many from as far away as Europe and America, drawn by perfect powder snow, cheap hotels and breathtaking views of the Himalayas.

At an altitude of 8,000 feet, this rugged ski town's miles of slopes are usually covered in snow from December to March and packed with snowboarders and skiers.

But this year there is no snow.

Kashmir and other parts of the Himalayas in northern India are experiencing a prolonged dry spell spreading fear among farmers and threatening the tourism and ski industries that generate millions of dollars every year.

Like much of South Asia, Kashmir experiences extreme weather patterns, including record summer heat waves that lead to the rapid melting of glaciers that provide a key water source for the region's eight million people.

Today, even on the 4,000-metre peak of Gulmarg, there are vast tracts of land that should be icy white but are instead brown and green. Parking lots are empty and hotels are reporting cancellations.

Javed Rehman, a tourism official in Kashmir, said no snow essentially means no tourism at this time of year. It's a stark contrast to 2023, when the resort extended the ski season by 15 days until April 15 due to an influx of people, he said.

“During winter, for most tourists, Gulmarg is the main destination on their itinerary, with other places as additional additions,” he said.

There was a brief snowfall in the higher parts of the area late last month, but it was not nearly enough. Kashmir reported a rainfall deficit of 79 percent through December.

Indian meteorologists said the unusual weather was linked to global warming and El Niño, the sporadic climate phenomenon that can create warm, dry conditions in the Indian subcontinent and other parts of Asia.

Thousands of people depend on a snowy Gulmarg for their livelihood. Last year, over a million tourists rode a ropeway from the bowl-shaped valley to the top of Gulmarg.

Those visitors are typically served by sled pullers, tea vendors who stand in groups and pour out steaming cups for skiers, and other roadside vendors. But now the private ski rental shops are closed and the ski instructors are out of work.

“For the entire year, our only expectation is more than two months of work,” said Imtiaz Khan, a ski instructor from the nearby town of Tangmarg in north Kashmir.

Traditionally, winter in Kashmir is divided into three parts. The heaviest 40-day period from December to the end of January – locally called 'chilla-i-kalan' – brings cold weather that freezes pipes and bodies of water. Cricket enthusiasts play the wildlife on the surface of the frozen Dal Lake in Srinagar, the largest city in Kashmir.

The region has been recording warmer-than-normal temperatures for about a month, sometimes 10 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. Daytime temperatures during the harsh winter period usually hover around 41 degrees Fahrenheit, with freezing temperatures at night.

Mohammad Asadullah Hajam, a hotel manager in Gulmarg, said every hotelier was facing a similar challenge with more tourists canceling their bookings every day.

“About 50 percent of cancellations are made by foreign tourists,” he said. “That's where most of our turnover comes from.”