Winter precipitation system around Nepal revealed by atmospheric circulations, moisture budget and teleconnections

Wintertime (DJFM) receives particularly less amount of precipitation in Nepal, compared with summer but has significant role for annual cycle of precipitation and its relation with various sectors of Nepal like water resources and agriculture. Using observational station precipitation data from Nepal, reanalysis data from Japanese Re-analysis (JRA-25) and Global precipitation climatology project (GPCP) data for this study we tried to calculate the moisture flux associated in winter and relate it with observed precipitation. Additionally we aimed to explain if there is any influence of atmospheric indices from Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. The results show that there is strong linkage between wintertime precipitations with moisture flux around the western boundary. We found strong divergence of moisture flux in the southern edge of Nepal. The composite study can not establish the strong influence of Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) mode over the moisture convergence, Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) which in turn has influence on summertime precipitation.