Snowfall disrupts life in Jammu’s higher reaches; rains break long dry spell in plains

Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra suspended as heavy rain, snowfall lash J&K, more than 100 stranded persons were rescued from snowbound areas in Poonch and Udhampur districts

Heavy snowfall, gusty winds disrupt power supply across Kashmir; KPDCL restores 80% network, restoration efforts continue on war footing in affected districts

Jammu: Moderate to heavy snowfall was experienced in high-altitude areas, including the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the Jammu region, leading to the suspension of traffic on key roads and disruption of air and rail services.More than 100 stranded persons were rescued from snowbound areas in Poonch and Udhampur districts, while moderate rains lashed the plains, including Jammu city, bringing an end to a dry spell that had lasted for over two months.

As predicted by the meteorological department, it started snowing in most high-altitude areas late Thursday evening, preceded by gusty winds, while intermittent rains lashed the plains, including Jammu city, throughout the night, officials said.Intermittent snowfall continued in the upper reaches of Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Udhampur and Kathua districts, officials said.

Snowfall ranging from a few inches to over two feet accumulated in some areas.The higher reaches had recorded snowfall in the last week of December. The fresh precipitation brought relief to the people, especially farmers and tourism stakeholders, ending the dry-spell in the region.

A police official said that 70 people, stranded at Totagali in Mendhar area of Poonch district, were rescued despite adverse weather conditions, ensuring their safety and comfort. Another 30 passengers who were stranded due to heavy snowfall in the Krishna Ghati area were also safely evacuated, he said.Amid inclement weather conditions, police conducted another rescue operation and saved 12 persons, including women and children, who were stranded in a heavy snowstorm at Chochru Galla in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur district, the official said.

Meanwhile, in a post on X, Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board said, “Season’s first snowfall at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan (atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district). Devotees were blessed to witness breathtaking weather as fresh snow gently adorned the holy surroundings of Maa Vaishno Devi Bhawan and Bhairon Temple, filling the atmosphere with serenity, devotion, and divine bliss”.

The yatra was temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure from both the Tarakote and Banganga tracks, but it has now been restored.The traffic on the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was suspended following fresh snowfall. Thousands of vehicles have been stranded.

“Traffic movement has been stopped in both directions — from Jammu towards Srinagar and vice versa on Jammu Srinagar national highway (NH-44) due to fresh snowfall in and around the Navyug Tunnel (in Banihal-Qazigund stretch),” a traffic department official said.”In addition, the Mughal Road, Srinagar-Leh national highway, and Sinthan Roads have also been closed owing to fresh snow accumulation,” the official said.

The official advised commuters to avoid travel until these roads are fully restored and declared safe for traffic.Officials said the rail service between Jammu and Kashmir was also partially affected by heavy snowfall.

“Due to heavy snowfall, only one train each was operated from Sangaldan and Banihal towards Srinagar, while no train could be run from Kashmir towards Banihal as large portions of the railway track remained covered with snow,” Station Master Banihal, Abdul Baseer Bali, told.Railway authorities are closely monitoring weather conditions and tracking clearance operations. Services will be restored once conditions improve, he said.

Five flights were suspended this morning while several others got delayed at Jammu airport due to inclement weather, the officials said. A total of 32 flights are scheduled to operate to and from the airport during the day.The officials said the authorities have ordered the closure of all schools in the hilly districts of Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua districts as a precautionary measure in view of the snowfall.Police have also established dedicated helpline numbers at all district headquarters, they said.Meanwhile, BSF rescheduled its recruitment drive at its Jammu headquarters from January 24 to February 6 due to waterlogging caused by rainfall.

“Due to continuous heavy rainfall, waterlogging has occurred in and around the BSF Jammu Paloura Camp, affecting the stadium and track. In view of this, the PST/PET (through RFID) for the recruitment of CT/TM in BSF, scheduled to be held on January 24, 2026, has been postponed. The revised date for the examination has now been fixed as February 6, 2026,” a BSF spokesperson said. In anticipation to snowfall prediction, KPDCL had geared up the preparedness to tackle the snow fall aftermath on the electric infrastructure especially in hilly terrains and rural areas.

According to the official statement by KPDCL, severe gusty wind, incessant rainfall and heavy snowfall across various parts of the Kashmir  Division, the power demand/load of Kashmir  Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) witnessed an unprecedented decline  and it dropped to the lowest level of 93 MW at around 10:00 PM, as against the normal average running load of approximately 1650 MW. The network was live until  10:00 PM of intervening night of   22th and 23th of January-2026 when the load abruptly crashed due to faults/ damage of various 33kV / 11kV feeders owing to high speed gusty winds. The roof tops of houses were blown off and smashed on to  33kV/11KV line  causing damage to electrical line and adding  extra difficulty in clearing the smashed roof structures hanging on lines.

At the sub-transmission level, 103 out of 135 numbers of 33 kV lines were down/under fault, reflecting nearly 24% active network at this level. Similarly, at the distribution level, 1275 out of 1302 numbers of 11 kV feeders were down/under fault  till morning.Following established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), wee morning restoration had already started and is being  monitored at all levels led by Managing Director/Chief Engineer and pursued by Superintending Engineers/Executive Engineers. The restoration picked up pace and by 6.00 PM, almost 80% network was charged back and load of 1050 MW was recorded by SLDC with prioritizing of essential and vital installations.

The heavy snowfall and high-speed winds have badly affected the electrical infrastructure particularly in Shopian, Kulgam, Baramulla and Budgam. Around 4.5Ft snow in high terrains of these areas   is affecting the restoration work also as vehicular movement  is severely impaired. The major affected areas include DH pora , Kund , Malwan and branel-Lammar of Kulgam district; Sedow , Reshnagri, Herpora ,Kaprain and Kuch dora of Shopian district;   Khanshab, Beerwa, Doodhpathri and Yousmarg of Budgam district.

The official statement further said that the damage of Transmission tower at Sheeri  in Delina-LJHP 132 kV Transmission line  has also put hindrance in restoration of power supply , JKPTCL (Kashmir) is on job of restoring the network by erecting  ERS ( Emergency Restoration System).KPDCL is committed to restore the Power supply to all areas by the dusk of day and men and machinery has already been mobilized to the effected areas who are working on War footing basis  for  earliest restoration  of  power supply services to valley.