Incessant rain, hailstorm lash Kashmir; fruit crops, vegetables damaged

Srinagar: Hailstorm followed by incessant rain lashed summer capital, Srinagar, and other parts of Kashmir valley, resulting in damage to fruit crops and vegetables.
Meanwhile, a weather warning has been issued for Monday and Tuesday in the valley, which would experience isolated thundershowers and hailstorm with gusty winds with a speed of 30 to 40 km per hour.
A Met department spokesperson told UNI that the weather will remain wet under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance (WD) during the next four days. “The maximum temperature is expected to dip below normal due to rain and overcast conditions in the valley,” he added.
Panic gripped Srinagar, particularly in civil lines and uptown due to strong winds, followed by hailstorm and heavy rain for about half-an-hour. Opening fields, gardens and roads turned white in area in Srinagar, where the temperature witnessed dip due to hailstorm and incessant rain. Majority of the roads were waterlogged in the city, resulting in difficulties for the pedestrian to move on the roads.
People alleged that vegetables in kitchen gardens and city outskirts, particularly towards central Kashmir, were damaged due to the hailstorm.
Fruit and vegetable crops were also damaged in several areas in the valley due to hailstorm and heavy rain on Monday evening.