Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, Aug 3

Heavy rain and cloudbursts triggered flash floods across Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, damaging homes, roads and crops and disrupting traffic, with authorities warning of more intense weather in vulnerable areas.

A 50-year-old woman was swept away and killed after a cloudburst and severe hailstorm hit Hamli Warnow in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, officials said.

The cloudburst sent torrents of water, mud and slush through the village, damaging houses, orchards and standing crops.

The woman’s body was recovered after a search operation involving police, army personnel and local volunteers.

In south Kashmir, a cloudburst in the upper Batkoot area of Pahalgam triggered flash floods, causing the Wardbal and Overa nallahs and other tributaries of the Lidder River to swell rapidly.

A bridge at Langnai-Batkoo was damaged by strong currents, while flooding blocked the Bijbehara-Pahalgam road near Overa, officials said.

A separate cloudburst in Arin Dardpora village in Bandipora district damaged roads, flooded houses and inundated agricultural fields.

In Shopian district, an intense downpour triggered flash flooding in Badrehama village, forcing families to move to safer places. Officials said the exact cause would be assessed.

Heavy rain also caused flooding in parts of Rajouri, prompting authorities to issue a red alert and advise residents to stay away from rivers, streams and low-lying areas.

Strong winds damaged a house and an electricity pole in Bakura village of Ganderbal district. No casualties were reported there.

The Meteorological Centre in Srinagar forecast intermittent rain and thunderstorms across Jammu and Kashmir through Aug. 7, warning that short but intense spells could trigger flash floods, landslides, mudslides and rockfalls.

Further cloudbursts and flash floods were reported later in Kishtwar, Kangan and Gurez, but officials said there were no reports of casualties or major damage in those incidents.

The latest incidents follow a series of weather-related disasters in the region, including deadly flash floods and landslides in Poonch and Rajouri last month.