Deadly Weather Hits Autumn Climbing Season in the Himalayas

Sun Oct 12 2025 19:00:42 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The delayed monsoon and extreme weather conditions in the Himalayas have turned the popular autumn climbing season deadly, resulting in blizzards, fatalities, and a growing risk to trekkers and mountaineers.

This autumn season, climbers in the Himalayas faced unprecedented extreme weather as the traditional monsoon extends into October, leading to dangerous blizzard conditions. Last weekend, hundreds of hikers were stranded near Mount Everest, resulting in one fatality and numerous rescues. The pattern of extreme weather is becoming more frequent due to climate change, raising concerns about the safety of treks in this region.

Clear skies, calm winds and a panoramic view of Himalayan peaks draped in snow is what autumn hikers on Mount Everest usually expect.

However, a troubling pattern is emerging. Meteorologists note that the monsoon season now stretches into autumn, traditionally the peak season for mountain tourism—resulting in dangerous conditions due to recorded extreme rainfalls nearly every year for the past decade.

Just last weekend, a sudden blizzard stranded hundreds of tourists around Everest, forcing a rescue that saw nearly 600 trekkers brought to safety. Tragically, one individual perished from hypothermia and altitude sickness. Similar incidents occurred on the Nepal side, where severe weather also claimed another life.

The onslaught of severe rain and snowfall disrupted communication lines, delaying reports of casualties, while landslides and flash floods claimed approximately 60 lives across Nepal.

According to local guides, unexpected extreme weather has been increasingly common, prompting greater scrutiny of the climbing season, which is typically characterized by clear skies in October.

For the past decade, the monsoon season in northern India and Nepal has begun gradually extending until mid-October. As explained by Archana Shrestha of Nepal's department of hydrology and meteorology, the past ten years reflect significant climatic changes.

The unusual and heavy rain and snow at the start of October has intensified risks for trekkers and mountaineers throughout the region.

Studies attribute this atmospheric shift to a 'turbocharged monsoon' phenomenon, caused by warm, moist air from the Indian monsoon colliding with colder air, commonly known as westerly disturbances, that have previously only affected the region in winter. This climate change makes weather patterns less predictable, revealing harsh truths about new realities climbers face.

Now, weather experts warn that the sympathy once associated with the mild weather of September and October cannot be relied upon, as many trekkers are caught off-guard during sudden storms. As Passang, a travel agent from Lhasa, notes, the reliability of weather patterns is fading.

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