Ladakh lies on the rain shadow side of the Himalayan where dry monsoon winds reaches Kargil after being robbed of its moisture in plains and the Himalayan mountain. The district combines the condition of both arctic and desert climate. Therefore Ladakh is often called " COLD DESERT". Rainfall in the area is negligible. Heavy snowfall is experienced in winter. The average snowfall is about 2 to 5 mtrs. in villages. In winter mercury drops to minus 48 degree Celsius at Drass (Kargil), which is the second coldest inhabited place in the world after Siberia. The main features of the climate are :- Wide diurnal and seasonal fluctuations in temperature with -48° C in Winter and +35° C in Summer. Precipitation is very low with annual precipitation of 10 cm mainly in the form of snow Soil is thin, sandy and porous The entire area is partly or devoid of any natural vegetation Irrigation is mainly through channels from the glacier-melted snow The climate of the District is milder than that of Ladakh (Leh). The villages situated on the banks of Indus and on the Sangham of Suru and Drass rivers are very warm and fine. The snow falling happens to be quite heavy and rainfall normal but it does not help in irrigating the fields. The crops are subjected to irrigation. In Nutshell, the winter season of the District experiences severe cold and temperature often goes down redundantly but summer season remains dry and little hot. The soil of the District is sandy to loamy in nature and deficient in organic matter and availability of phosphorus and potashes low and mixed with stones and gravels . It is shallow in formation, weak friable and vulnerable to all types of erosion. Fertility of the soil varies from place to place and growing season is very short. The average rain fall at Kargil is 26 cms only. The district has some deposits of chromed at Drass and around it. Copper is also found in Lungnak valley, Zanskar and Tai-Suru. Besides, deposits like lime stone, marble and building material are also existing. However, these mineral resources are yet to be exploited.
