NEW DELHI, Jan 27: Snowfall in the hill states and rain in the plains on Tuesday carried north India into a damper phase of the winter, with the national capital recording the wettest January in four years and the white blanket of snowfall in Kashmir disrupting air and road traffic.
Delhi recorded its highest rainfall for the month since 2022 as heavy rain and thunderstorms battered parts of the national capital on Tuesday.
With the latest spell of rain, the city’s monthly total rainfall for January rose to 24 mm.
In Kashmir, fresh snowfall across the region on Tuesday led to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Officials said the arterial National Highway 44 was closed due to snow accumulation near the Navyug tunnel at Qazigund and Banihal.
As many as 60 persons, including 40 soldiers of a Rashtriya Rifles unit, were rescued by the Border Roads Organisation after they were stranded in a snowbound area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district, a defence spokesman said.
At Srinagar International Airport, all 58 scheduled flights, including 29 arrivals and 29 departures, were cancelled. Authorities said continuous snowfall rendered the runway unsafe for operations.
Most parts of Kashmir received fresh overnight snowfall as a western disturbance affected the region.
The plains of the valley, including Srinagar, recorded light to moderate snow, while the higher reaches received moderate to heavy falls.
The national capital, meanwhile, woke up to grey skies, with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert in the morning for several parts of the city, warning of thunderstorms, gusty winds and the possibility of hail.
At Safdarjung, considered Delhi’s base station, the maximum temperature settled at 16.9 degrees Celsius, 5.2 degrees Celsius below normal, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 8.0 degrees Celsius, 0.4 degrees Celsius below normal.
“Although the conditions for a cold day were met, with the maximum temperature dropping 4.5 to 6.4 degrees below normal and the minimum falling below 10 degrees Celsius, the day cannot be classified as a cold day as temperatures are expected to rise again tomorrow. This is the first day of satisfying the criteria,” an IMD official said.
During the 11.30 am to 2.30 pm period, rainfall intensified at some stations, with Palam recording 10.6 mm, Ridge 10.2 mm.
Safdarjung 4.2 mm, Lodi Road 3.4 mm and Ayanagar 3.8 mm.
Between the 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm spell, rainfall tapered off, with Palam receiving 0.6 mm, Ridge 1.2 mm, Ayanagar 0.1 mm and Mayur Vihar 1.0 mm, while most other stations reported no rain.
In Himachal Pradesh, the higher reaches are likely to receive heavy snowfall and rains, the meteorological centre in Shimla said.
It has issued an orange warning for Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts.
Meanwhile, the higher reaches of the state witnessed light snowfall till Tuesday morning.
Gondla village in Lahaul and Spiti received 22 centimetres of snow, the highest in the state. (PTI)
