Shopian Hit by Another Hailstorm, Local Farmers Face Heavy Losses: SRINAGAR: Several parts of south Kashmir’s Shopian district were again hit by an intense hailstorm on Monday evening, leaving fruit orchards damaged and raising concerns among farmers.
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Areas including Keller, Sedow, and adjoining villages witnessed heavy hail, which severely impacted apple blossoms and standing crops. This is the second such hailstorm in the region within a short span.
The incident occurred hours after the Meteorological Department had forecast light rain, thundershowers, gusty winds, and hailstorm at scattered places for April 21.
In a detailed advisory issued earlier in the day, Director MET Srinagar, Mukhtar Ahmad, had warned of “a spell of light to moderate rain/thundershower with thunder/lightning/gusty winds and hailstorm over many parts of South Kashmir including Shopian, during the next 3 hours.” He had advised people to stay indoors and avoid landslide-prone areas.
Farmers in Shopian have appealed to the administration to assess the losses and provide timely relief. The MET department has advised that overall weather across J&K is expected to remain generally dry from April 22 to 30, except brief spells of thundershowers and hailstorms on April 24 and 25. (JKNS)