India, March 18 -- Himachal Pradesh sees little snowfall and below-normal rainfall this winter

Residents say winters are shorter, milder and no longer as harsh as before

Temperatures in early March hit their highest levels in over a decade

Dry conditions and rising heat are already affecting crops and livelihoods

Experts warn this could signal a deeper, long-term climate shift

Deshbandhu Sood, a 79-year-old resident of Shimla, recalls why the British once chose the hill town as their summer capital - its famously cool climate. Winters, he says, were once so snowy that summers barely registered. But that, he believes, is now changing.

He says the shift is not limited to Shimla. Across Himachal Pradesh, winters have become noticeably ...