Gulmarg in northern Kashmir recently observed minus 9.6 degrees Celsius along with a 5-centimetre snowfall. This combined with the chilly winds blowing across North India marked the beginning of the 40-day extreme winter period, known as Chillai–Kalan the previous Saturday.
Impact on Highway Transportation
Highways also felt the impact of such extreme weather conditions, as the 270–kilometre long Jammu–Srinagar highway was closed for the third consecutive day on Sunday due to a landslide near Digdole in Ramban district of the Union Territory. Since this is the only road connecting the two locations, the natural calamity prevented functioning roadways. While lighter vehicles were allowed to pass, many trucks are currently stuck along the highway, waiting for the road to reopen.As per discussions with Muzaffar Shah, Superintendent of Police Traffic (Rural), the highway will be cleared either on Monday evening or Tuesday morning. The primary cause of landslides was attributed to the seeping of water from melted snow into the mountains. This is also causing the roads to become slippery for vehicles.
Jammu & Kashmir witnessed its first snowfall of this season between November 6th to 8th and later from November 14th to 21st. This eventually led to the disruption of road and air transport, thus posing issues for travellers.
Thus, with such extremely harsh weather conditions observed in North India, it is advised to kindly check the weather conditions before leaving for any trip to North India for a safe journey!
