After a long wait, snowfall has started on the mountains. A white blanket has been spread on the mountains from Himachal to Jammu and Kashmir. Tourists are enjoying the sudden snowfall. At the same time, the local people have also heaved a sigh of relief. This snowfall has also come as a boon for the apple crop. On one hand people are celebrating due to snowfall, on the other hand many roads were closed, many flights were canceled and at many places the temperature dropped rapidly.
Luckily, there was snowfall in the high mountains of Himachal Pradesh late in the night. This is the first snowfall of the year in tourist places like Shimla and Manali. People appeared on the streets early in the morning to enjoy the first snowfall of the season. Snow storm is going on in Shimla since late night. Due to the snow storm, electricity has been cut in most parts of the city.
Along with Himachal, the first snowfall of the season was also seen in Kashmir on Friday. Snow fell heavily in the higher reaches of Kashmir and it is raining continuously in the lower areas. Life has been badly affected due to snowfall.
Snowfall also affected air travel. All flights from Srinagar airport have been cancelled. Officials say that they have taken this decision due to accumulation of snow in the runway and operational area. He said that this decision was necessary for the safety of passengers. Srinagar Airport has issued advisory to the passengers. Along with this, the work of removing snow from the airport is also being done continuously. Issuing an advisory, Indigo said that flights will be resumed as soon as the weather clears. Passengers have been asked to check flight status before arriving at the airport.
The effect of snowfall was also seen on road traffic. Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Srinagar-Leh Highway, Mughal Road and several link roads have also been closed as a precautionary measure. Electricity supply has also been affected due to snowfall. Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited says that the work of restoring supply is going on continuously.
Along with Himachal and Kashmir, there has been snowfall in the mountains of Uttarakhand also. In Uttarakhand too, snowfall started late at night and a white blanket was spread on the mountains. Areas like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Auli, Mussoorie and Chakrata received heavy snowfall. It has been snowing in the plains since morning. The weather department has issued an orange alert due to snowfall.
