Season’s 1st snow in Himachal, J&K; rain ends prolonged dry spell in Punjab, Haryana

Snow and rain cast dark skies over North India on Friday, with snowfall turning the hills picture-postcard white while steady rain ended the prolonged dry spell across the plains.

This brought a sigh of relief to farmers in many areas and cheer to tourists in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand as they geared up for a long holiday weekend.

Himachal Pradesh received its first snowfall of this winter, ending a nearly three-month-long dry spell, turning the hill state into a winter wonderland. The higher altitudes in Shimla, Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba, Kullu and Mandi districts recorded over one foot of snowfall, while the lower areas received good rainfall.

The generous spell of precipitation has brought huge relief to farmers, fruit growers and those involved in tourism. The long and severe dry spell had triggered deep concerns about the life and livelihoods of local people. “Fruit cultivation and tourism are the sources of livelihood for lakhs of families in the state. Without snowfall, both would become unsustainable,” said an orchardist.

On the flip side, normal life was thrown out of gear. Around 700 roads have been shut for traffic. A large number of areas have also plunged into darkness as nearly 4,800 power distribution transformers have been affected.

Meanwhile, light to moderate rainfall occurred at most places in Punjab and Haryana over the past 24 hours. January rains, which were deficient by 87 per cent till Thursday, turned surplus by 18 per cent overnight, while the deficit in Haryana reduced from 92 per cent to 33 per cent.

PAU experts note that the rainfall is crucial for the rabi season, providing essential moisture to the soil and crops.

All districts in Punjab received rain. With 40.3 mm, Gurdaspur was the wettest district, followed by Pathankot with 32.5 mm and Sangrur with 21.2 mm. Ferozepur, Muktsar and Fatehgarh Sahib received the lowest amounts, between 3-4 mm.

In Haryana, barring Palwal and Faridabad, all districts received rain. The wettest districts were Bhiwani with 15 mm, Fatehabad with 12 mm and Kaithal with 9.6 mm, while Nuh with 0.6 mm, Gurugram with 0.7 mm and Rewari with 1.5 mm received the least rainfall.

Fresh snowfall in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir led to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, suspension of Mata Vaishno Devi yatra and cancellation of over 20 flights in Kashmir.

Higher reaches of J&K on Friday saw the season’s first snowfall, while the plains witnessed incessant rainfall, disrupting day-to-day life across the Union Territory.

The snowfall hit air traffic, with officials saying no flight operated from Srinagar airport on Friday. A statement by the Srinagar airport authorities said the runway was not available for safe operations.

The police said the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, Mughal Road and Sinthan Pass, connecting the Valley with other parts, had been closed because of snowfall and rainfall. The Railways, however, said Vande Bharat trains continued to operate between Katra and Srinagar.

Across the Valley, strong gusty winds late on Thursday damaged power infrastructure, affecting supply in several areas. Officials said restoration work was progressing steadily, “with field teams continuing efforts to further stabilise and improve power supply.”

An avalanche warning was issued for many mountainous districts of the UT. Educational institutions were also shut in many parts of the Jammu division. Meanwhile, the plains of Ladakh on Friday also received the season’s first snowfall. A MeT official said Leh plains received light snowfall, while Kargil district saw moderate snowfall.