“All flights to the city were cancelled due to snowfall and the 300 km Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained closed," said Kashmir's head of disaster management cell Aamir Ali. Thousands of vehicles stranded along the Srinagar-Jammu highway wait for the road's reopening.
While the upper reaches of Gulmarg, Gurez, Tanghdar and Sadna Top received a snowfall of one to four feet, Srinagar recorded two inch. Snow clearance machines were pressed into service to clear the roads in upper reaches.
Snowfall mildly hampered normal life with the roads missing its usual bustle. Unlike in the rest of the country, Valentine's Day celebrations have been low key as several Islamic groups have asked the youth in the valley not to be influenced by such celebrations. Power supply to the upper reaches were affected by snow.
"Electric poles in these areas were knocked down. Efforts are on to restore the power supply," said Mohammad Rafiq, an officer in power development department.
Meanwhile, the disaster management cell has sounded a high-danger avalanche warning for hilly areas above 8,000 metres.
Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon issued instructions to all district commissioners to be on high alert following the avalanche warning.