Freaky weather marked by snowfall, hailstorms wreaks havoc on apple orchards in Kashmir

Snowfall and hailstorms wreak havoc on Kashmir Valley apple orchards, prompting government response and weather advisories for safety.

A fresh spell of snowfall in the upper reaches and a hailstorm combined with gusty winds in the plains wreaked havoc on apple orchards in parts of the Kashmir Valley on Saturday (April 19, 2025). Meanwhile, a cold wave gripped the valley due to early summer snowfall.

A maximum temperature of 12.2°C was recorded in Srinagar, which is a departure of 8.6°C from normal temperature for this time.

Amid the cold weather conditions, owners of orchards in Shopian’s Ganowpora, Manloo, Mujpathri, Watho, Shirmal and Poterwal villages expressed distress over the hailstorm affecting the apple blossoms. “The hail damaged apple trees and exposed them to cold. It’s a worrying situation. It can inflict losses running to lakhs of rupees on the apple industry,” Reyaz Ganai, an apple orchard owner from Ganowpora, said.

The Omar Abdullah government has reached out to the orchard owners and has started assessing the damage inflicted by the hailstorm. “The government stands firmly with the farming community during this difficult time. The loss is not only of crops but of months of hard work and hope,” Sakeena Itoo, a Minister, said.

National Conference (NC) leader and MLA Farooq Ahmad Shah said it was heartbreaking to see the damage caused by the recent hailstorm to our fruit crops across Kashmir. “Thousands of hardworking fruit growers are facing huge losses and their livelihoods are at risk. I strongly urge the government to introduce subsidised anti-hailstorm nets on the lines of an initiative by Himachal Pradesh. We must protect our horticulture and stand by our farmers before it’s too late,” Mr. Shah said.

J&K Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone said that the hailstorm “left behind a trail of devastation and destruction”. “Kashmir’s apple orchards have borne the brunt of the freak weather. The apple industry forms the backbone of the region’s agricultural economy,” he said.

The administration has set up control rooms in the wake of a fresh forecast of storms, snow and hail for the next 24 hours in Kashmir. The Irrigation and Flood Control Department is monitoring water levels in different water channels and tributaries of the Jhelum river.