The remnant of the earlier western disturbance is still moving across the northern mountains. The hills and valleys continue to be cluttered with clouds and fog. All the peaks have already been blanketed with a thick layer of snow. More snowfall likely in the coming days raises the danger of snow slides and landslides and all sorts of disruptions, concomitant to the snowstorms.
Fresh western disturbance is marked over parts of Afghanistan and Iran. Seemingly an active weather system will reach the outskirts of Jammu & Kashmir, late tomorrow. The main system and its induced circulation will be right over the state and plains of Punjab, a day later, on 05thJan 2025. While the plains of the north may get away with scattered light rainfall, the trouble is sensed for the mountains on the 05th and 06th of January 2025. Heavy snowfall is likely to trounce the popular resorts and the approach roads, as well. The visitors and tourists will have a tough time and therefore cater for such exigencies.
Fresh piles up of snow raise the chance of lofty mounds of snow sliding down the slopes, with enormous speed and momentum, damaging anything and everything on their way. Arterial roads are likely to get choked and the main highways stand a chance to remain blocked and closed. The air operations will also be at risk of getting suspended for stacking snow on the runway and leading to considerable delays in clearance. The state governments also need to carefully assess the capacity utilization of their resources and restrict the visitors, if need be.
The brunt of the weather activity will be faced by Kashmir Valley, with Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam at risk of interruption. The higher areas will still be worse. So will be the case with Himachal Pradesh. The temperature has already plunged to -15°C in Lahaul-Spiti and further slumped to -20°C or less in the Rohtang-La region. The weather conditions will become better between 07th and 09th January to recuperate. Mind you, this is going to be a short breather, before the next onslaught, during the second half of next week.
Image Courtesy: Canva
