A fresh spell of snowfall blanketed the high-altitude regions of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, delighting tourists. The influx of visitors, however, led to traffic jams in both regions, with police continuing operations to clear stranded vehicles.
In Manali, as snowfall continued for the second consecutive day, police removed over 1,000 vehicles that had been stranded near the Atal Tunnel since Sunday night, news agency PTI reported. Meanwhile, in Kashmir, police carried out a rescue operation at Sinthan Top, where around 214 tourists were trapped.
Several high-altitude areas in Kashmir reported significant snowfall. These included: Pir Ki Gali along the Mughal Road in Shopian district of south Kashmir, Zojilla axis, Gurez in north Kashmir’s Bandipora, Sadhna Top in north Kashmir’s Kupwara, and Sinthan Top connecting Anantnag in south Kashmir to Kishtwar in Jammu region.
According to officials, Sadhna Top received over 12 inches of fresh snowfall, while Sinthan Top recorded around 6 inches.
How has transport been affected?
The snowfall has disrupted transport across the Valley, forcing the closure of several key roads. These include the Gurez-Bandipora road, the Sinthan-Kishtwar road, and the Mughal Road, which acts as an alternate route linking the Kashmir Valley with the Jammu region.
Vehicular movement has also been suspended on the Srinagar-Leh highway due to heavy snow accumulation at Zojila Pass. Meanwhile, the plains of the Valley, including Srinagar, experienced intermittent rainfall until Monday morning.
Which other areas in Uttarakhand were affected?
In Uttarakhand, heavy snowfall covered the temple premises in Shri Badrinath Dham, including Neelkanth Parvat in Chamoli district.
What does the weather forecast say?
According to the India Meteorological Department, heavy rainfall and snowfall will continue in areas including Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh on 19th March, and Uttarakhand on 20th March.
A hailstorm warning has also been issued for: Himachal Pradesh (16th, 18th, 19th March), Uttarakhand (16th, 19th, 20th March), Punjab (16th March), Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad (18th March)
What about northern plains and Delhi?
Light rainfall was recorded in northern states such as Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, bringing temperatures down by a few degrees. In the national capital, Delhi, air quality improved to the “satisfactory” category following Sunday’s rain.
Meanwhile, some parts of Rajasthan witnessed light rain and thunder till Monday morning, resulting in a 2–4°C fall in temperatures. Chittorgarh recorded the highest maximum at 38.6°C, while Fatehpur saw the lowest minimum of 11.7°C.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Jaipur has predicted that a fresh western disturbance would bring isolated thunderstorms and rainfall across the state.
Weather conditions are expected to remain mainly dry on March 16 and 17, according to the IMD.
(With inputs from agencies)
