Cyclone Arnab nears Nepal: up to two metres of snow could hit the Himalaya

Bad weather is on the way in the Himalaya. A depression in the Bay of Bengal is developing into a cyclone named Arnab, expected to reach Nepal on Wednesday or Thursday and affect the rest of the week.

What to expect

According to the forecast from the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association, with meteorologist Krishna Bhakta Manandhar:

• Clouds will reach the mountains on 28 October, mainly above 6,500–7,000 metres in eastern Nepal, including the Khumbu (Everest region) and Kangchenjunga.
• Heavy rain across Nepal and snow at altitude: the mountains could get up to two metres of fresh snow.

Authorities and local media are urging trekkers and climbers to change their plans and avoid rivers and high passes. The biggest worry is people in remote areas without satellite phones or other communications. On the Annapurna and Manaslu treks, check with local agencies: several passes were already cut or in poor condition after earlier floods.

Expeditions affected

It’s the second major storm in just over a month. The late-September storm ended the Manaslu season and triggered an avalanche on Himlung that killed 16 base camp workers.

• Jost Kobusch, preparing his solo winter Everest attempt, has seen the cyclone disrupt his plans in the Manaslu area.
• A Russian team is acclimatising for Jannu (7,710 m) in the Kangchenjunga region.
• The Russians on Everest’s West Ridge are resting in Kathmandu, so they shouldn’t be affected.

The warning comes days after a German climber died on Ama Dablam, at the height of the Khumbu’s autumn season.

In the mountains, the forecast is part of your gear: if two metres of snow are coming, the best summit is the one you save for another day.