J&K Braces for Heavy Rainfall, Amarnath Yatra Continues Amidst Weather Challenges

The Kashmir Valley is grappling with heavy rainfall for the second day, prompting the Meteorological Department in Srinagar to issue a severe weather advisory for Jammu and Kashmir. The advisory warns of heavy to very heavy rainfall, the possibility of flash floods, and risks of landslides in the next 24 hours. Despite the inclement weather, the Amarnath Yatra is ongoing, with pilgrims continuing their journey and having Darshan at the holy cave. The continuous rain has prompted authorities to closely monitor the pilgrimage routes from both Pahalgam and Baltal to ensure the safety of the devotees. The Director of MET in Srinagar, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad, forecasts cloudy conditions between July 16-17 and July 21-23, with intermittent light to moderate rain and thundershowers across many areas. He also warned of intense showers during these periods, and isolated incidents of heavy to very heavy rainfall. Additionally, scattered to fairly widespread rain or thundershowers are predicted for July 18-20. The MET Centre’s advisory highlights the risk of flash floods, landslides, mudslides, and falling stones. People in flood-prone or landslide-prone areas are urged to avoid unnecessary travel. In other news, a tragic road accident on the Srinagar-Leh highway near Gumri-Drass claimed two lives and injured multiple individuals.