A powerful windstorm swept across the Valley late Sunday night, leaving a trail of destruction, widespread power outages, and at least one death.
The intense thunderstorms accompanied by strong gusty winds reached speeds of 40-60 kilometers per hour.
In South Kashmir’s Shopian district, father and daughter were injured after a massive tree fell on them outside their residence in Gadarchowgan Keller.
The duo was rushed to the hospital, where the girl identified as Sabia daughter of Riyaz Ahmed succumbed to injuries while her father is undergoing specialised treatment.
Local residents said they had stepped out to secure loose items in their yard when the tree came crashing down.
From north to south, nearly every district in the Valley experienced damage from the storm. The winds uprooted trees, toppled electric poles, blew away the rooftops of dozens of homes and mosques, and shattered glass sign boards and hoardings in several towns.
In north Kashmir's Baramulla district, several structures, the rooftops of houses and a Dar-ul-Uloom were damaged. Several trees were uprooted during the gusty winds in the district.
Similar reports of damage were reported from Soproe areas. Besides, over half a dozen sheep belonging to a nomad family were killed while nine others were injured in Peerina forests in Baramulla.
In Srinagar city, large hoardings collapsed onto parked vehicles and sidewalks, while flying tin sheets from rooftops caused injuries in several localities. At least five people were admitted to hospitals in Srinagar and Anantnag with storm-related injuries, though none were reported to be in critical condition.
Massive damage was reported to the apple orchards and nurseries across Budgam, Pulwama, Tangmarg, and Baramulla. In the Karewa belt of Pulwama, farmer Bashir Ahmed said, “All the newly planted apple saplings in my nursery have been uprooted. This is a devastating loss. We are staring at financial ruin.
Power infrastructure also took a major hit. The storm disrupted electricity supply in dozens of areas, especially in Kupwara, Ganderbal, Anantnag, and Bandipora. According to the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL), several distribution transformers were damaged while dozens of transmission lines snapped under pressure from falling trees and debris.
Water supply in many areas was also affected after the winds damaged pumping stations and lifted tin sheds of filtration plants. “In some areas, we had to suspend water supply because the overhead storage tanks were damaged,” said an official from the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department.
In Budgam, several vehicles parked along streets were struck by flying debris, causing damage to windshields and roofs. District authorities across Kashmir have initiated damage assessments and are compiling reports from various tehsils.
Following the gusty winds that affected electricity in many areas of Kashmir, Power Development Department (PDD) said it has restored over 90 percent of electricity and is likely to restore the power fully by late Monday evening.
 “Our ground staff has been working round the clock since late evening yesterday to restore the power supply in affected areas,” a PDD official said.
He said almost 98 percent transmission lines of 33KV are functioning and as far as power feeders are concerned, more than 90 percent feeders are working. “Out of 1295 feeders, more than 1150 feeders are operating,” he said.
The gutsy winds caused extensive damage in the infrastructure of KPDCL.
“It has come to notice that many electric poles, transmission lines as well as some smart meters have been damaged by the gusty winds,” the official said.