Stormy Wind Havoc Hits Punjab-Haryana; First Snow Blankets Himachal & Kashmir

Normal life in the Tricity was thrown into disarray by strong winds, rain, and a lack of power since the morning. A trail of devastation was left in many areas of Zirakpur, Mohali, Kharar, Nayagaon, and Panchkula. Trees were uprooted, branches were scattered across roads, and power lines were broken, leaving many of these cities without electricity until the evening. There were outages in several parts of Chandigarh that lasted up to 12 or 14 hours. In certain places, the blackout also impacted the water supply. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports that winds reached up to 60 km/h that day. According to IMD officials, the conditions were brought on by an ongoing Western Disturbance in the area, which is expected to last until around noon on Saturday.

According to a representative for Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL), the outage was caused by uprooted trees falling on power lines, frequent tripping, and issues with overhead feeders that were 11 kV, 33 kV, and 66 kV. 

Tree collapses and severe weather were the main causes of the 182 breakdowns and 34 transient faults that were reported during the day. Additionally, up to 37 poles were uprooted. Phases 1, 2, 3, and 7 experienced the worst power outages, while Mohali and Panchkula were equally impacted. More than 1,200 complaints about the outage were received from Kharar residents until 6:30 p.m., according to an official.

Transmission tower falls on Banur-Bhabat 66 kV line

An under-construction transmission tower on the Banur-Bhabat 66 KV line collapsed, causing a significant disruption in the Zirakpur area, according to a Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) spokesperson.

Over 600 power poles and multiple distribution transformers were reportedly damaged throughout the state. The spokesperson stated that PSPCL teams are working to replenish the supply. According to Mohali City’s deputy chief engineer, HS Oberoi, restoration work was started on a war footing as soon as the weather improved.

“By around 6 pm, electricity supply in most parts of the city was restored. However, our teams are working round-the-clock to repair damaged poles and restore power connections to individual houses where local faults persist,” he said.

There have also been reports of water acumulation on Madhya Marg, all internal sector roads, the Industrial Area, the CTU workshop, Sector 35, the Hotel South End, and Chandigarh-Panchkula Road, which is close to the Housing Board lights.

Second major rain spell of the year

Due to the impact of the strongest Western Disturbance of the season, this was the second rain spell of the year, but it was much more intense. IMD reports that 13.2 mm of rain fell until 8.30 am, and 25.1 mm of rain fell until 5:30 pm. Friday’s total rainfall of 38.3 mm is the highest since January 22, when 45.9 mm of rain was recorded on January 23. 

Additionally, a new Western Disturbance is anticipated early next week, though it is unlikely to have the same impact on the city.

Cities like Shimla, Solan and Kashmir experienced first snowfall too

Along with this North Indian cities like Shimla, Solan and Kashmir experienced the first major snowfall of the season on Friday that caused widespread disruption to essential services. 

Himachal:

According to AIR (All India Radio) official statement, in the state capital, Shimla, snowfall has been ongoing since early morning. Tourist town Manali has also received its first snowfall of the winter, creating great excitement among visitors. The impact of snowfall is clearly visible in Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu, Chamba, as well as the higher areas of Mandi and Sirmaur districts. The change in weather has brought smiles to the faces of farmers and orchardists. However, a yellow alert has been issued for Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Solan, Sirmaur, and Mandi districts due to the possibility of hailstorms.

Kashmir:

In the upper reaches, including the ski resort of Gulmarg, more than two feet of snow fell, halting air traffic, closing major highways, and causing widespread power outages in the Valley.

Due to bad weather, schools in the districts of Rajouri and Poonch were closed. Fresh snowfall also fell on Vaishno Devi Shrine, but the pilgrimage was unaffected.

Non-stop rain brings down Delhi AQI

According to the nowcast on the IMD website at approximately 11:15 am, all districts of Delhi were under an orange alert due to the rain. The city’s high pollution levels were momentarily alleviated by rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds, which maintained the momentum of the declining air quality index (AQI) and led to the removal of GRAP 3 on Thursday. 

Safdarjung station recorded a minimum temperature of 7.6 degrees Celsius, 0.1 degrees above the season’s average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This was a significant drop from Friday’s low of 13.7 degrees Celsius, which was the highest in four years.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer app, the air quality slightly improved on Saturday morning, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 256, in the “poor” category, compared to 293 on Friday.