The prolonged dry spell in Pir Panchal region, comprising of Rajouri and Poonch, ended today with heavy rain and snowfall received across the region which led to closure of several roads.
According to reports, in all the areas at a lower sea-level rainfall started in the night and went on till last reports were received. In between 2 to 4 in the afternoon, the region recorded heavy rainfall.
“Heavy hailstorm also put normal life out of gear and most of the areas of Rajouri and Poonch received heavy hailstorm,” revealed reports.
Besides rainfall, moderate to heavy snowfall has also been received in higher ranges of the districts.
According to reports, Budhal, Kandi, Darhal, Thanamandi and Surankote received heavy snowfall, with snow accumulating to more than three feet in some areas.
Several roads were closed due to heavy snowfall, including Rajouri-Budhal-Kandi road and Thanamandi-DKG-Surankote road.
Power supply was also disrupted in both the districts.
Rain, hailstorm affects villages of Mendhar
The traffic on several roads of villages in Mendhar was affected today due to heavy rain and hailstorm.
The locals said, “A lot of village roads are not blacktopped and due to mud and slippery conditions, vehicles are off the road and normal life has been badly affected.”
The power supply has been disrupted as well due to the ongoing harsh weather conditions.
Saujiyan, Loran receive fresh snowfall
The day-to-day life was badly affected in Saujiyan and Loran in Poonch due to rain and snowfall today.
The locals said, “The higher reaches recorded snowfall since last night, with the hilly areas receiving more than 2 feet of snow. It resulted in a lot of roads being blocked.”