In recent days, repeated hailstorms have affected large parts of the Kashmir Valley, with districts such as Shopian, Pulwama, and Kupwara experiencing multiple damaging events from late April through early June 2026. These storms struck at critical flowering and fruit-development stages, causing severe losses to apple orchards, vegetable crops, and other agricultural fields. The damage included bruised fruits, broken branches, and flattened crops, while many villages reported intense nighttime hail that battered rooftops and farmland. Areas such as Nagbal, Zaradihar, Machama, Chankitaar, Mandoora, and Panner Jageer etc., were among the worst affected. It is increasingly observed that rainfall in the Valley is now often accompanied by hail, lightning, strong winds, and cloudburst-like conditions, replacing the gentler and more consistent rains of the past. Repeated hail damage during sensitive growth stages is pushing orchardists into rising losses and debt, threatening Kashmir’s horticulture-based economy, as weather forecasts continue to warn of unstable atmospheric conditions and the possibility of further isolated hailstorms.

Hailstorm formation in Kashmir results from the interaction of........

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