In an extraordinary event moist southwest monsoon winds in India have crossed the natural barrier of the Himalayas.
A climate barrier blocking rainfall in Tibet has been crossed, warned Asian scientists, who are worried that it may portend significant changes for South Asia. Southwest winds that bring the annual monsoon rains to India have crossed the natural barrier of the Himalayas, an arid environment. The event has been described as ‘extraordinary’.
Normally, the towering wall of the Himalayas blocks these winds. They strike the mountain ranges, unload rain across India, Nepal and Bhutan, and leave Tibet largely dry. But in the first week of September 2025, ‘satellites captured moisture drifting from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh into the Tibetan plateau’.
Scientists explain that rising global temperatures are affecting the jet streams. ‘Rising heat in West Asia and the Mediterranean pushes these high-altitude wind belts northward.’ This may alter the dry ecology of Tibet, leading to a feedback loop where moisture and heavy rainfall cross the Himalayas more frequently, resulting in intense storms, flooding, and the accelerated melting of glaciers. India receives 80 % of its water from the monsoons if some of that rain instead crosses into Tibet, it would affect the water supply of the worlds most populous nation.
As always, this event could be an anomaly or a permanent shift. Time and research will be able to answer the questions of the future.
From Zee news:
It is, first of all, an evidence of a shifting climate. For centuries, the Himalayas have served as a climatic wall. That shield appears weaker now. If the barrier fails, South Asia’s weather cycle could undergo long-term changes.
In 2025, the heavy activity of western disturbances already caused floods and cloudbursts across Himalayan states. Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand saw villages such as Dharali and Harsil submerged. Four people lost their lives. At least a hundred remain missing. These disasters highlight how fragile mountain communities are to changes in rainfall.
In Tibet, where rainfall is scarce, the sudden arrival of monsoon moisture could gradually transform ecosystems. Plants, animals and water cycles on the plateau might adapt or collapse. A wetter Tibet could also accelerate glacial melt and change the flow of rivers that feed millions downstream.
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