New Delhi, Jan. 11 -- North-west India is experiencing one of its driest winters on record, with an 84.8% rainfall deficiency in December and 84% in the first ten days of January, leaving the region's hills parched and starved of snow at the height of the winter season, meteorologists said on Saturday.

The unprecedented dry spell - caused by western disturbances bypassing the region entirely - has created near-drought conditions across the Western Himalayas, with even higher reaches of Uttarakhand recording no snowfall in January, a rare meteorological occurrence for the month.

"The main reason for such dry conditions is that western disturbances did not affect the Western Himalayan region this winter. A WD is approaching but let's see ...