Heavy snow fell on Friday in numerous areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, causing traffic jams in several locations. Most of Kashmir, including the plains, saw mild to moderate snowfall as a result of a western disturbance.

Early in the morning, snow started to fall in the higher locations and later in the afternoon, it spread to the plains, including Srinagar. According to officials, Srinagar recorded three inches of snowfall. In addition to Srinagar, the plains of Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, and Pulwama districts also experienced the first snowfall of the season.

The well-known ski resort of Gulmarg, the tourist destinations of Sonamarg and Pahalgam, Gurez, Zojila axis, Sadhna Top, Mughal Road, and several locations in the districts of Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara all reported snowfall, according to officials.

The Mughal Road and the Srinagar-Leh Highway were both closed as a result of the intense snowfall. Approximately 2,000 vehicles were left stuck on the Srinagar-Jammu national route due to traffic disruptions.  Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir, stated that snow removal works are in progress.

"Today, I travelled by car from Jammu to Srinagar. Rain fell steadily from Banihal to Srinagar. The circumstances were quite dangerous. I am aware that about 2000 cars are stranded between Qazigund and the tunnel. My office has maintained communication with the South Kashmir government. The road is quite slick even after the snow has been cleared. In a post on X, Abdullah stated, "Efforts are underway to free the remaining stranded vehicles and heavy vehicles are being let to move."

In the midst of the state's intense snowfall, the Himachal Pradesh Police rescued some 5,000 visitors who were stuck at the Solang Nala ski resort in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, on Friday. According to Kullu police, a rescue effort was started on December 27 after over 1,000 cars became stuck in Solang Nala.

Around 1000 visitors and other cars were stranded in Solang Nala today, December 27, 2024, as a result of the recent snowstorm. The vehicles carried roughly 5,000 tourists. Kullu Police have rescued the cars and visitors and transported them to secure locations. Kullu police said on X that the rescue effort was still ongoing.

As rescue and recovery efforts continue, residents and authorities are bracing for further challenges in the days ahead, with meteorological departments predicting more rain and snowfall in the coming week.