India, Feb. 22 -- Earlier this week, HT highlighted that most of India was experiencing temperatures that suggest an early arrival of spring. Some of this has to do with a deficit in rainfall across India. However, another factor behind warmer temperatures in northern India is that the winds blowing from the north aren't cool enough. Satellite data suggests that this is because India's hilly regions in the north are experiencing yet another year of record-low snowpack five months into the snow cycle.

As HT had highlighted in a February 18 story, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there has not been much precipitation in most of northern India after January 18. This includes the hilly regions of northern sta...