Western Disturbance Brings Snowfall to Kashmir and Himachal, Rain Disrupts Haryana Harvest

Rains and hailstorms in the division of Jammu damaged crops and interrupted the helicopter service in Katra. Mughal Road was also shut down to vehicles due to the snowfall in Poonch District.

In Uttarakhand, most districts, from the mountains to the plains, experienced rainfall until noon. Snowfall occurred on the high peaks of the Himalayas. The Chardham and Adi Kailash Yatra remained smooth.

Rain and hailstorms are expected in Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pauri, and Haridwar on Friday. An orange alert has been issued. The Meteorological Department has urged travelers to consult weather experts before traveling.

According to PTI, snowfall also occurred in Himachal Pradesh's Shinkula, Baralachaala, Kunjumla, Koksar in Lahaul-Spiti, and the Dhauladhar mountain range in Kangra district.

Officials said the fresh snowfall has made roads in high-altitude passes slippery, making travel risky.

Roads from Rohtang Pass to Sarchu, Darcha to Shinku La, and Gramphu to Batal have been closed. Following snowfall, vehicular traffic has been suspended on the Manali-Leh and Manali-Zanskar routes.

The Thursday morning rain in Haryana has increased the concerns of farmers in the state. In Fatehabad, 20 percent of the paddy crop spread across 400,000 acres has been harvested, while 65,000 metric tons of paddy purchased in the markets are still awaiting lifting.

Paddy heaps in the markets of Sirsa and Dabwali were submerged in water. Strong winds in Hansi flattened ripe paddy fields.

Thousands of quintals of millet stored in the open in Charkhi Dadri were soaked. Rain fell in 20 districts of the state. A yellow rain alert has been issued for 10 districts on Friday as well.