A devastating windstorm accompanied by torrential rain and hail lashed Jammu region on Wednesday evening, plunging the entire division into darkness and chaos. With wind speeds touching 114 km/h, the storm uprooted hundreds of trees, electric poles, and mobile towers, crippling infrastructure and disrupting daily life across all 10 districts.
🚨 Power Wipeout Across Region
Chief Engineer, JPDCL, K.K. Thappa confirmed that the storm caused “massive damage” to power infrastructure. Entire Jammu city and surrounding districts including Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, Katra, Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar were left without electricity.
“Cables are broken, poles and towers have collapsed. Our teams are working tirelessly, but complete restoration may take over 24 hours,” Thappa said.
⚡ Key Transmission Lines Affected:
- 220kV, 33kV, and 11kV lines disrupted
- Supply from Salal Power Station to several key substations snapped
- Partial restoration expected in Jammu City by midnight
🚧 Blockades & Chaos on Roads
The fury of nature brought traffic to a standstill in many areas:
- A large tree fell near RBI Office, Railway Road, blocking major routes
- Trees and electric poles brought down in Green Belt, Gandhi Nagar
- Widespread disruption on Jammu-Akhnoor, RS Pura, Talab Tillo, and Nagrota roads
- Major highways like Jammu-Samba-Kathua and Jammu-Katra-Reasi saw massive traffic jams
🏢 Infrastructure Damage:
- Civil Secretariat wall collapsed, damaging parked vehicles
- Cell tower collapse near Bahu Fort crushed two bikes and a house
- Landslide on Jammu-Poonch highway at Gambhir Brahmana stranded commuters for over two hours
🔥 Lightning Sparks Fire, Kills Livestock
In Rajouri, a lightning strike set ablaze a carry bag factory owned by Abdul Wahid, causing property loss worth lakhs. Fire tenders rushed to contain the blaze.
In Gool (Ramban) and Mahore (Chassana), at least a dozen goats and three cattle were killed due to lightning and cloudburst.
🌦️ Meteorological Update:
According to Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Director of Meteorological Department, Srinagar:
“Wind speed touched 114 km/h in areas like Chatha and Satwari, 102 in Samba, 70 in Kathua, and 80 km/h in parts of Jammu city.”
Forecast:
- April 18–19: Light to moderate rain, snow at higher altitudes
- Thunderstorms with gusty winds expected from evening onwards
- Yellow and Orange alerts issued for April 19
- April 22–25: Mostly dry weather predicted
🍃 Agricultural Impact & Valley Weather
Reports of extensive damage to mango and fruit trees in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua have emerged. Meanwhile, Kashmir Valley experienced heavy rainfall following the hottest day of the season.
In Srinagar, boat capsizing incidents were reported in Dal Lake; video footage of the incident has gone viral.
🚨 Advisory:
The MeT Department and administration have urged travelers to avoid unnecessary movement on highways prone to landslides, shooting stones, and mudslides.
🗣️ Residents Speak:
“We’ve never seen winds this fierce. It felt like a cyclone. Everything turned dark in minutes,” said a resident of Gandhi Nagar.
The situation remains critical, with restoration efforts underway. Authorities have urged people to stay indoors, stay alert, and cooperate with emergency services.
