Meteorological factors associated with July 2005 floods in river Jhelum

Abstract

The meteorological conditions leading to the July, 2005 floods in river Jhelum in the state of Jammu & Kashmir have been analyzed in the present study. The floods coincided with a spell of heavy rains over the state during second week of July 2005 caused by the interaction of a westward moving monsoon disturbance over the plains of northwest India and an eastward moving trough in middle troposphere over north Pakistan. Further analysis of precipitation over the state during the preceding winter season shows that there was record snowfall at many stations over the state. The estimate from KALPANA-1 satellite also revealed the highest snow cover area over the region since 1998. The higher volume of snowmelt because of the increased snow cover area seems to have significantly contributed towards the floods.