Snow and Rain End Prolonged Dry Spell Across North India

PTI, NEW DELHI, JAN 23, 2026: Snow and rain. Dark skies over north India wrote in both on Friday, the snow painting the hills a picture-postcard white while steady rain disrupted life across the plains, including in Delhi where the full dress Republic Day rehearsal went ahead despite the weather odds.

Temperatures plummeted as the prolonged dry spell finally ended in the region with the unseasonal snow and rainfall. It led to sighs of relief from farmers in many areas and whoops of delight from tourists in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir preparing for a long holiday weekend.

Fresh snowfall in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir led to the closure of the Srinagar–Jammu national highway, suspension of the Mata Vaishno Devi yatra and cancellation of over 20 flights in Kashmir.

Gulmarg received over two feet of fresh snow, while Sonamarg in Ganderbal district recorded over six inches, and the Pahalgam resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district around three inches, they said.

Moderate to heavy snowfall was recorded in many areas in Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Shopian, Pulwama and Bandipora districts, while Anantnag and Kulgam districts received light to moderate snow, they added.

Air traffic to and from Kashmir was suspended on Friday after flight operations were cancelled at the Srinagar airport due to heavy snowfall in the valley, which has rendered the runway unsafe for aircraft operation, officials said.

"Due to adverse weather conditions and snowfall in Srinagar, the runway is currently not available for safe aircraft operations. In the interest of passenger safety, all flight operations to and from Srinagar have been cancelled for the day," an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said here.

The Meteorological Department has forecast the current weather system to continue till Friday evening. There is a possibility of heavy rain or snow with gusty winds or hailstorm over a few districts of the Pir Panjal range, Chenab valley and south Kashmir.

In Delhi, a long spell of dry winter weather finally ended when the city recorded its first rain of the year, bringing brief relief from high pollution levels.

The showers led to a significant shift in air quality as Delhi’s AQI stood at 293 in the "poor" category, according to the CPCB’s Sameer app, an improvement from 313 recorded at 4 pm on Thursday.

While soldiers marched along the Kartavya Path in soaked uniforms and boots for the full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day parade, office-goers battled cold and congestion when peak-hour rain brought the city to its knees.

At Kartavya Path, marching columns of soldiers in soaked uniforms and wet boots held the full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day parade even though steady rain and thunder delayed proceedings at the ceremonial boulevard.

Himachal Pradesh on Friday received its first snowfall of this winter, ending a nearly three-month-long dry spell and bringing cheers to tourists and turning the hill state into a winter wonderland.

Tourists were seen enjoying the snow at famous tourist spots. Some users on X, posting videos of the fresh snowfall, suggested tourists drive slowly on the roads.

"I’ve seen snowfall for the first time in Manali. It is an amazing experience," a tourist from Una said.

The MeT has predicted that the higher reaches of the state will continue to receive snowfall till January 24, while other areas are expected to remain dry.

Snowfall in higher reaches and rain in low-lying areas of Uttarakhand ended a long dry spell and intensified the cold wave.

Fresh snowfall covered Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Auli, Mussoorie, Chakrata, Dhanaulti and Uttarkashi in a thick layer of white.