Page 2 - Snowfall

Jammu-Srinagar highway reopens after day-long closure due to snowfall

The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar highway was on Sunday reopened for vehicular traffic after a day-long closure due to heavy snowfall, allowing stranded vehicles to proceed to their respective destinations, officials said. However, several other important inter-district routes, including the Mughal Road, Sinthan Pass, Sonamarg-Kargil inter-UT road, and Bhaderwah-Chamba inter-state road, remained closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall. "The highway has been reopened today following the clearance of snow accumulated on various stretches of the road," a traffic official said. The stranded vehicles along the highway are being cleared, he added. "Passenger traffic is plying on the highway. Commuters are advised to follow lane discipline, as overtaking may cause congestion," J-K Traffic Police said in an advisory. It also advised commuters to drive cautiously, as the road is slippery between Banihal and Qazigund. The Mughal Road, which serves as an alternative link to the Kashmir V

Delhi's air gets better after rainfall as temperature drops in North India

Delhi woke up to cloudy skies with scanty to no rainfall in parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) in the early hours of Sunday (December 29)

Indian Army evacuates tourists, locals stranded in Gulmarg snowfall

The Chinar Warriors corps of the Indian Army has responded to a distress call from civil administration to evacuate tourists stranded in Gulmarg district of the territory, said Chinar Corps on Saturday.The tourists and civilians were stranded due to unprecedented heavy snowfall in tourist destination Gulmarg and the subsequent closure of the road to Tanmarg.Responding to the call, the Army personnel evacuated 68 civilians, including 30 men and women each and eight children and provided meals, shelter and medication to 137 tourists.In a social media post on X, Chinar Corps, Indian Army wrote, "Chinar Warriors responded to a distress call from civil administration to evacuate tourists stranded due to unprecedented heavy snowfall in tourist destination of Gulmarg and the subsequent closure of the road to Tanmarg. Providing assistance in evacuation of 68 civilians including 30 ladies, 30 gentlemen and 8 children along with provisioning of hot meals, shelter & medication for a total .

2000 vehicles stuck in Anantnag, CM Omar Abdullah promises relief measures

Around 2,000 vehicles were stuck at Qazigund town in Jammu and Kashmir's (J-K) Anantnag following the valley's first snowfall of the season on Friday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said.CM Abdullah mentioned that he has spoken with the Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag about the current situation, adding that heavy vehicles are being allowed to move & efforts are on to clear the rest of the stranded vehicles."In a post on X on Friday night, CM Omar Abdullah said, "Just spoke to DC Anantnag about the current situation of the road between Qazigund & the tunnel. The icy conditions have caused traffic to back up. The stranded vehicles, in both directions, are slowly moving & where necessary being assisted."He added that DC was on the spot with his team. "I've instructed him to ensure that vehicles with families & children must be given priority.""If necessary arrangements for overnight shelter will be made. The DC is accompanied by an ambulance in case of any medical .

Kullu Police rescue 5,000 stranded tourists amid heavy snowfall in Himachal

Kullu police said that a rescue operation was launched on December 27 after about 1,000 vehicles got stranded in Solang Nala

Delhi shivers as rain, winds intensify winter chill; more showers likely

The rain, which started early on Thursday, has already made December 2024 one of the wettest in history, with total rainfall recorded at 42.8 mm, nearly five times the December average of 8.1 mm

Rain catches Delhi unawares, temp drops to 5-year December low at 14.6C

Several parts of Kashmir received fresh snowfall, many their first this season, on Friday, with a slight increase in the minimum temperatures at most places in the valley, while Rajasthan and Delhi were cold, overcast, and smitten by rain. A western disturbance brought rain to all three parts of the country, and elsewhere, with the national capital recording its highest December rainfall in 15 years, seeing the day temperature go down sharply to 14.6 degrees Celsius. Rain also lashed several places in Punjab and Haryana causing the day temperatures in both places to drop sharply. Chandigarh, which was pelted by a hailstorm, saw its maximum temperature come down to 15.9 degrees Celsius. In J-K, snowfall was recorded in Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Gurez, Zojila axis, Sadhna Top, Mughal Road, and many areas in Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara districts, weather officials said. Plains of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, and Pulwama districts, received their first snow

North India cold wave: Srinagar freezes at -7.3°C, dense fog blankets Delhi

Tabo in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh recorded the coldest temperature in the state, at minus 10.6 degrees Celsius

Snowfall in Himachal Pradesh shuts 226 roads, including 3 highways

A total of 226 roads, including three national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh following snowfall in several districts, officials said on Wednesday. People shivered under piercing cold wave conditions as minimum temperatures dropped by a few notches in Jot, which received 10 cm of snow in the past 24 hours, followed by Khadrala (5 cm), Pooh (2 cm), Sangla (1.2 cm) and Keylong (1 cm). Tabo in the Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in Himachal Pradesh, recording a night temperature of minus 10.6 degrees Celsius. A total of 226 roads, including three national highways including Attari and Leh, Sanj to Aut in Kullu district, Khab Sangam in Kinnaur district, and Gramphoo in Lahaul and Spiti district were closed for traffic, officials said. According to the state emergency operation center, a maximum of 123 roads were closed in Shimla district, 36 in Lahaul and Spiti and 25 in Kullu. Additionally, 173 transformers were disrupted, affecting power supply across the

Himachal celebrates 'White Christmas', but snowfall triggers road closures

The recent snowfall in Himachal Pradesh has led to the closure of more than 200 roads, including key national highways

Himachal snowfall: 177 roads closed, Shimla hotel occupancy rises to 70%

At least 177 roads, including three national highways, were closed in Himachal Pradesh following snowfall in several districts, officials said on Tuesday. Snowfall was recorded in the Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and the higher reaches of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and Sirmaur districts. A second consecutive day of snowfall has led to an increase in tourist inflow amid hope on a white Christmas. Shimla Hotel and Tourism Stakeholders' Association president MK Seth told PTI that hotel occupancy in Shimla was at more than 70 per cent. The snowfall led to a 30-percentage point increase in room bookings, he added. About 174 roads and three national highways are closed and tourists in about 500 vehicles stranded near the Atal Tunnel were safely rescued till late on Monday, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster) Onkar Sharma told PTI Videos. According to reports, four people died in accidents during the past 24 hours and several suffered injuries due to vehicles skidding at so

Cold wave and fog disrupt life in North India, but winter tourism thrives

Despite train delays due to severe weather conditions, the snow-covered mountains have drawn large crowds of tourists eager to celebrate Christmas and New Year

Vehicles stuck, tourists stranded after snowfall in Manali; 700 rescued

According to officials, around 1,000 vehicles were stuck in a long traffic jam, prompting police to launch a rescue operation and shift around 700 tourists to safe places

Heavy snow blankets parts of US during busy holiday travel weekend

The first big snowfall of the season blanketed towns along Lake Erie on Saturday in the middle of the hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend, and numbing cold and heavy snow were forecast to persist into next week and cause hazards in the Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest regions. The heavy snow led to a state of emergency declaration in parts of New York and a disaster declaration in Pennsylvania, with officials warning of dangerous conditions for Thanksgiving travelers trying to return home. Travel will be extremely difficult and hazardous this weekend, especially in areas where multiple feet of snow may accumulate very quickly, the National Weather Service said. Part of I-90 in Pennsylvania was closed, as were westbound lanes of the New York Thruway heading toward Pennsylvania. Nearly 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of New York, Ohio and Michigan, and 29 inches (73 centimeters) was recorded in Pennsylvania's northwestern tip. The city of Erie, Pennsylvania, said

Fresh snow in Kashmir's higher reaches, Met forecasts wet weather in valley

Some places in the higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Saturday, with the Met office forecasting a spell of wet weather in the Valley amid an increase in the minimum temperature, officials said. The tourist resort town of Sonamarg in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district and the upper areas of Gulmarg received light snow, the officials said. They said there were reports of light snowfall at some other areas in the higher reaches, including Zojila, and Sadhna Top in Kupwara. Some places in the Valley also received light rain. Owing to the cloud cover, the minimum temperature at most places in Kashmir, including Srinagar -- which had experienced the coldest night of the season on Friday -- settled above freezing point, the officials said. The city recorded a low of 2.5 degrees Celsius, rising from minus 1.2 degrees on Friday. Qazigund recorded a low of 0.8 degrees Celsius while Pahalgam registered 3.2 degrees. Gulmarg, a tourist destination famous for skiing, recor

Thousands left without power as winter storm hits New Mexico, Colorado

Tens of thousands of people in New Mexico were without power Thursday as the first major winter storm of the season rolled across the northern two-thirds of the state and into Colorado, bringing with it snow and fierce winds that forced schools and government offices to close. Dozens of crews with Public Service Co. of New Mexico were mobilized to address widespread outages that had been reported overnight and in the early morning hours from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and beyond. The utility urged residents to be patient, saying there were about 41,000 people still affected by the outages. We know any time without power is frustrating, the company said in messages to customers. Schools in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and elsewhere across northern New Mexico canceled classes, while authorities warned people to stay off the roads. Plows were busy trying to keep major highways clear, but state police announced midday that Interstate 25 just south of the Colorado border was closed in both ...

Mount Fuji likely gets its trademark snowcap after long delay in 130 years

Japan this year also had an unusually hot summer and warm autumn

Japan's Mount Fuji still without its iconic snowcap for 1st time in 130 yrs

Japan's iconic Mount Fuji, known for its snowcap forming around this time of the year, is still snowless in November for the first time in 130 years, presumably because of the unusually warm temperatures in the past few weeks. The lack of snow on Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as of Tuesday breaks the previous record set on October 26, 2016, meteorological officials said. Usually, the 3,776-metre-high mountain has sprinkles of snow falling on its summit starting October 2, about a month after the summertime hiking season there ends. Last year, snow fell on the mountain on October 5, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, or JMA. The snowless Mt. Fuji has captured attention on social media. People posted photos showing the bare mountain, some expressing surprise and others concerned over climate change. The JMA's Kofu Local Meteorological Office, which keeps weather data in central Japan and was the agency that announced the first snowfall on Mt. Fuji in 1894, has ci

Japan's Mount Fuji snowless in late October, breaking 130-year record

Typically, Mount Fuji sees its first snowfall by early October, with the last record set for October 26 in 1955 and 2016

Snow cover in Himachal river basins declined by 12.72% in 2023-24

The seasonal snow cover in Chenab, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej river basins in Himachal Pradesh decreased by 12.72 per cent in 2023-24 compared to 14.25 per cent in 2022-23, a statement issued here on Friday said. During the early winter months of 2023-24 (October to November), the Chenab, Beas and Sutlej basins showed negative trends in snow cover, whereas the Ravi basin showed a marginal increase, reflecting a positive trend, the statement quoting a study said. However, results for the peak winter months indicated significant declines in all the basins -- 67 per cent in Sutlej, 44 per cent in Ravi, 43 per cent in Beas and 42 per cent in Chenab in January 2024, according to the study conducted by the State Centre on Climate Change, under the aegis of the HP Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (HIMCOSTE). In February, a positive trend was observed in all basins, with an increase in snow cover, continuing into March 2024. Based on the analysis, it was observed that the declin