Several parts of south Kashmir’s Shopian district were again hit by an intense hailstorm on Monday evening, leaving fruit orchards damaged and raising concerns among farmers.

 Reports said areas including Keller, Sedow, and adjoining villages witnessed heavy hail, which severely impacted apple blossoms and standing crops. This is the second such hailstorm in the region within a short span.

 The incident occurred hours after the Meteorological Department had forecast light rain, thundershowers, gusty winds, and hailstorm at scattered places for April 21.

 In a detailed advisory issued earlier in the day, Director MET Srinagar, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, had warned of “a spell of light to moderate rain/thundershower with thunder/lightning/gusty winds and hailstorm over many parts of South Kashmir including Shopian, during the next 3 hours.” He had advised people to stay indoors and avoid landslide-prone areas.

 Farmers in Shopian have appealed to the administration to assess the losses and provide timely relief. The MET department has advised that overall weather across J&K is expected to remain generally dry from April 22 to 30, except brief spells of thundershowers and hailstorms on April 24 and 25.