Kashmir Braces for Travel Disruptions as Heavy Snowfall Triggers Highway Shutdowns
- Heavy snowfall closes Mughal Road and the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road. Landslides and shooting stones make the Jammu-Srinagar highway non-motorable, say officials.
- Fresh snowfall at Zoji La triggers road closure. Police urge commuters to confirm roads’ status before beginning journey.
- Hill stations, including the ski resort of Gulmarg and the Sonamarg hill station, witness a fresh layer of snowfall.
Heavy snow on higher reaches and rain in plains of J&K and Ladakh resulted in the closure of the all major roads and highways. Power outage was witnessed in many parts of Jammu which received heavy rainfall throughout the night.
A man died while his son was injured in Udhampur district when lightning struck near their home at Mora Thatri in Pathi Panchayat. As per reports, Shallu Ram (45) and his son Rinku (18) were standing outside their house when lightning struck. Injured Rinku was shifted to Government Medical College, Udhampur.
All major roads, including the Mughal Road that connects Rajouri and Poonch with Kashmir region and the vital Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44), were shut for traffic due to the accumulation of snow and also landslides. While the Mughal Road, which meanders through higher mountain reaches in Poonch, received heavy snowfall, the NH-44 was closed due to heavy landslide and shooting stone at Mehar and T-2. In an advisory, the traffic police stated that the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri road and the Mughal Road had been closed due to snow accumulation.
“People are advised to undertake journey on the NH-44, the SSG and the Mughal Road only after confirmation from traffic police,” the advisory stated.
On the other hand, the traffic on Zoji La pass in Kagil which received heavy snowfall was also suspended. The snowfall at Zoji La Pass led to the shutdown of the Srinagar-Leh highway with other significant passes like the Razdan pass and Sinthan Top also being temporarily inaccessible. The Kargil police in a statement said that due to fresh snowfall at Zojila the road had become slippery. “Commuters are advised to use anti-skid chains and strictly follow advisory before commencing journey,” it read.
Many areas in Jammu suffered power outage due to heavy snowfall and high velocity winds. The power was restored by Friday afternoon. However, residents in the old city of Jammu complained their power went off early on Friday and was not restored till afternoon.
The Srinagar centre of the Meteorological Department stated that widespread rain in plains and snowfall over higher reaches of J&K was witnessed on Friday. “Gradual decrease in precipitation from late afternoon on Friday will be witnessed. From November 11 to 17 the weather will be dry and warm,” it stated.
Hill stations, including the ski resort of Gulmarg and the Sonamarg hill station, witness a fresh layer of snowfall.
Dry weather expected
According to the weatherman, the weather will be dry and warm from November 11 to 17. Gradual decrease in precipitation from Friday will be witnessed, it states, adding that widespread rain in plains and snowfall over higher reaches has been seen.
