Snowfall disrupts life in Himachal, J&K; rain in north brings day temp down

New Delhi: Snowfall disrupted normal life in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand on Sunday, resulting in numerous flight cancellations and road closures, including national highways.

Rains lashed Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand and the minimum temperature remained above normal in many areas, while day temperature dropped several notches below normal.

In Jammu and Kashmir, heavy rainfall led to the cancellation of all flights at Srinagar airport. A landslide in Jammu’s Ramban district halted traffic on the crucial 270-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for nearly four hours.

Private carrier IndiGo reported the cancellation of six flights, four to Srinagar and two to Leh, due to adverse weather conditions. The closure of runways at Srinagar and Leh airports prompted these cancellations. Snowfall was reported in Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar and Doda districts, as well as the upper reaches of Reasi. Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 7.0 degrees Celsius, Pahalgam minus 3.5 degrees Celsius, Kokernag minus 2.2 degrees Celsius, and Srinagar minus 0.7 degrees Celsius.

The helicopter service to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine remained suspended due to inclement weather.

In Himachal Pradesh, a fresh spell of snowfall and rain led to the closure of 475 roads, including five national highways. Reduced visibility affected vehicular traffic.

Kalpa in Kinnaur received 5.6 mm of snow, with other areas like Bharmaur, Gondla, Keylong, Khadrala, and Kufri experiencing varying levels of snowfall. Rainfall was also reported in different parts of the state.

In Uttarakhand, biting cold followed fresh snowfall in higher elevations and rain in lower areas. Snowfall was observed in Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Hemkund, Auli, Dehradun’s Chakrata, Chaurangikhal, and Nachiketa Tal in Uttarkashi district.

In Delhi, light rains lashed the national capital on Sunday morning as the minimum temperature in the city rose to 11.9 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season’s average, while the maximum temperature settled at 20.3 degrees Celsius.

Different pockets of Delhi received rain between 5 am and 8 am and the city received 3 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours at 8.30 am.

The IMD has predicted more rain and moderate fog during the night hours. with agency inputs