Heavy snowfall disrupts life in Kashmir; Flights, rail services suspended, Jammu-Srinagar highway closed

Srinagar: Normal life was thrown out of gear in Kashmir on Saturday as most areas of the valley received snowfall, disrupting flight and railway operations and also leading to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, officials said.

Moderate to heavy snowfall was recorded across Kashmir since Friday, including the season's first snowfall in Srinagar city and other plain areas of the valley.

In south Kashmir, heavy to very heavy snowfall was recorded in the plains, while central Kashmir's plains received moderate snowfall.

The plains of north Kashmir received light to moderate snowfall, the officials said.

Srinagar recorded about eight inches of snow, while neighbouring Ganderbal recorded about seven inches. Sonamarg, a famous tourist destination, recorded around eight inches of snow, the officials added.

The Zojila axis along the Srinagar-Leh highway received about 15 inches of snow, they said. Areas in Budgam district received 7-10 inches of snow, while the plains in Anantnag district recorded around 17 inches.

The upper areas of the south Kashmir district received over two feet of snow, the officials said.

The tourist town of Pahalgam recorded 18 inches of fresh snowfall.

Areas in Pulwama district recorded 10-15 inches of snow, while neighbouring Kulgam received 18-25 inches and Shopian recorded around 18 inches of snowfall, the officials added.

In Bandipora district of north Kashmir, the plains recorded four inches of snow, while the higher reaches, including Gurez, received 6 to 10 inches of snowfall.

Areas in Baramulla district recorded 4-9 inches of snow, while the famous ski resort of Gulmarg received about 15 inches of snow, the officials said.

Kupwara plains received 1-2 inches of snow, and its upper reaches recorded 2-3 inches.

Even though the snowfall was welcomed by locals and tourists, it threw normal life out of gear.

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) was closed for traffic due to snow, the Traffic Department officials said.

They added that clearance work was being hampered due to heavy snowfall at the Navyug Tunnel.

Men and machinery are on the job, and commuters are advised to avoid travel until the weather improves and the road is cleared, the officials said.

Train services on the Banihal-Baramulla section were suspended due to heavy snow accumulation on the track, the railway officials said. Efforts to clear the track are under way, they added.

Air traffic to and from Srinagar was also affected as flight operations at the airport were suspended due to snowfall, the airport officials said. They added that about 80 percent of flights on Saturday were cancelled.

Clearance operations are ongoing, the runway has been cleared and operations can resume only after improvement in the weather, the airport officials said.

While authorities launched snow clearance operations at the respective district headquarters, most of the main roads and roads to hospitals were cleared of snow, but many interior roads were still blocked, the officials said.

Due to slippery conditions, motorists were facing difficulties in driving, they added.

The snowfall also affected power supply in several areas of the valley, the officials said. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was monitoring the situation.

"In Kashmir region, 41 feeders at the 33 KV level and 739 feeders at the 11 KV level are down. None at the 132 KV or 220 KV levels. Restoration work is underway, and more than 90 per cent of feeders are expected to be up and functional by evening today. I’m in regular touch with the PDD team to monitor the situation,” Abdullah said in a post on X.

Kashmir University postponed all its examinations scheduled for Saturday due to the inclement weather. Fresh dates for the postponed exams will be notified separately, the University said.

Meanwhile, minimum temperatures improved by several degrees across the valley, the MeT Department said.

Srinagar recorded a low of minus 1 degree Celsius on Friday night, more than six degrees up from the previous night's low of minus 7.3 degrees Celsius, it said.

Gulmarg, a town known for skiing activities in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 5 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam, the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir, registered a minimum temperature of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, logged a minimum temperature of minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, while Konibal, a hamlet in the Pampore area, recorded minus 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Kupwara, in north Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 1.2 degrees Celsius, while south Kashmir's Kokernag registered minus 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan' -- considered the harshest period of winter -- which began on December 21.

During the 40 days of Chillai-Kalan, the chances of snowfall are the highest and the temperature drops considerably.

It ends on January 30 next year, but the cold wave continues even after that. The 40 days are followed by a 20-day 'Chillai-Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day 'Chillai-Bachha' (baby cold).