Traffic halted on Srinagar-Jammu highway amid snowfall; helicopter, ropeway service suspended at Vaishno Devi

Jammu and Kashmir news: Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway( NHW) was halted on Thursday, February 20, owing to slippery roads connecting Banihal and Ramsoo, caused by heavy snowfall. Commuters have been advised to avoid journeys on the NHW.
 

Meanwhile, several tourist spots including Gulmarg, Sonamarg, and Pahalgam, as well as Doodhpathri in Budgam district, recorded light snowfall.  

Sonamarg's temperature dipped to -5 degree Celsius, with snowflakes blanketing the valley. Fresh spell of rain also lashed parts of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda.

Peer Ki Gali and adjoining areas along Mughal road in Poonch district, Banihal hills in Ramban, Sinthan top in Kishtwar, also received snowfall.

Vaishno devi ropeway services suspended

The helicopter and ropeway services at the Vaishno Devi shrine were also suspended on Thursday due to snowfall in the high-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir, while the plains, including Jammu city, were hit by rains, bringing an end to a prolonged dry spell, according to officials.

The officials said the helicopter service from Katra to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district was suspended this morning due to “bad weather,” reported PTI.

Since the beginning of the New Year, Jammu division had recorded an 83 percent rainfall deficit, while Kashmir Valley had a deficit of 81 percent. The sudden change in weather brought much-needed relief to the people, particularly the farmers.

Following the spell of heavy snowfall, the weather conditions are likely to improve on Friday, February 21, reported the Greater Kashmir, citing IMD updates.

Delhi experiences wet spell

Earlier in the day, Delhi and its neighbouring areas such as Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad experienced light showers. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted cloudy skies with light to moderate drizzle throughout the day in parts of Delhi-NCR.

The Met Department also predicted heavy rainfall, snowfall with hail very likely at isolated places over Uttarakhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha with rainfall at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit Baltistan, Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh.