The Kashmir region receives additional amount of precipitation during the winter brought by

The Kashmir region and the wider Western Himalayan area receive significant precipitation during the winter months primarily due to Western Disturbances [5]. These are extratropical depressions or weak temperate cyclones that originate over the Mediterranean Sea and travel eastward, picking up moisture from the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf [4]. While the majority of India remains dry during winter due to the offshore North-East Monsoon, these disturbances are steered into the Indian subcontinent by the subtropical westerly jet stream [3]. In Kashmir, these systems contribute approximately 72% of the annual precipitation, often manifesting as heavy snowfall in mountainous areas [6]. This winter precipitation is vital for the region's ecology and the survival of Rabi crops like wheat [4]. Although they are technically temperate cyclones, the term 'Western Disturbances' is the specific meteorological designation used for this phenomenon in the Indian context [5].

Sources

1. [2] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate of India > 10. The Western Himalayas > p. 42
2. [5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666592123001257
3. [1] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate > Understanding the Monsoon > p. 33
4. [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_disturbance
5. [3] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > The Cool, Dry Season (October To February) > p. 431
6. [6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21003551