Srinagar, Apr 10: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued a yellow alert warning of high forest fire risk across Jammu and Kashmir over the next seven days, despite recent wet spells in March and April.

“High forest fire risk is likely to occur over forest areas in J&K in the next seven days,” the IMD said, advising people to dial 112 in case of any emergency.

The warning is valid till April 16.

The alert follows a significant precipitation deficit during winter.

J&K recorded 106.7 mm precipitation between November and February against a normal of 320.1 mm, a 67 percent deficit categorised as “large deficient.”

February remained particularly dry and warm.

Weather conditions changed around March 10 due to successive western disturbances that brought intermittent rainfall.

These wet spells continued through March and into April, helping ease forest fire risk in Kashmir, though March still ended with a rainfall deficit of around 30 percent.

Forest officials said the wet weather has limited fire incidents in Kashmir this season.

“March and April are usually prone to forest fires, but this year both months remained wet, and very few incidents were reported – mostly in early March,” said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Anantnag, Muhammad Ashraf Katoo.

“Once greenery sets in, forest fires usually stop. By May, there are hardly any incidents in Kashmir and this persists till August,” he said.

However, he said the Jammu region continues to remain vulnerable.

“Jammu remains prone to forest fires for most of the year,” Katoo said, adding that some areas in north Kashmir, including Uri, also remain at risk.

Data from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) shows that forest fires continue to impact the region, though incidents have declined this year.

Government data shows that 1276 forest fire incidents were recorded in 2024-25, resulting in the loss of about 3551 hectares of forest cover.

In the 2025-26 financial year, more than 450 forest fire incidents were reported, a lower number compared with the previous season.

Several forest fires were reported toward the end of February and into the first week of March before declining after continuous wet spells.

According to the India State of Forest Report 2023 by FSI, Jammu and Kashmir has about 21,387 sq km of forest cover and 2867 sq km of tree cover, together making up around 10 percent of its geographical area.

The report also recorded a loss of 40.61 sq km of forest cover between 2021 and 2023, while nearly 11 percent of forest area falls under very high to moderate fire-prone categories.

An official from the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said early warning systems have helped limit damage.

“Swift response has ensured no loss of life, though vegetation and ecosystems have suffered,” the official said.

He said forest fire risk remains linked to weather conditions and requires continuous monitoring.