Humla district lies in the rainshadow of the Himalaya, and consequently receives little or no precipitation during the monsoon season. This effect increases with altitude, with the settlements at Muchu and Tumkot being entirely dependent on snow and glacial meltwater.
The mean annual precipitation is between 800-1200mm (although there are intra-regional variations as a result of the existence of a number of micro-climates), with between 400-800mm of annual mean rainfall being supplied during the monsoon. A number of local people reported that snowfall has reduced in recent years, and that June and July have become much rainier.
There is intense solar radiation due to the clear skies and rarefied air and large diurnal and annual variations in temperature. A severe cold-dry season from November to April, during which time parts of the project area are isolated from the rest of the country, opens to a mild warm-dry summer from May to October. Again, local people report that in recent years the summers were much milder.
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