Moderate to heavy snowfall and rain yesterday brought much-needed relief for people from an otherwise largely dry winter but caused disruption to normal life, especially in the hill states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Met department officials said cold wave conditions could prevail over hills and plains of north India over the next few days with heavy snowfall being reported on the higher reaches of the Himalayas.
Normal life was affected in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand following snowfall and rain, while moderate to heavy rainfall was reported from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Kashmir Valley came to a standstill as land and air links with the rest of the country, as well as inter-district road connectivity, remained suspended yesterday.
All flights to Srinagar international airport were cancelled on Friday itself.
The Jammu-Srinagar national highway, which is the lifeline to the Kashmir Valley, was closed following heavy snowfall near the Jawahar Tunnel at Banihal. Hundreds of trucks, buses, cars and other vehicles were stranded on the highway, waiting for the road to be cleared. Vehicles were stranded on several other state highways in the valley.
Power supply throughout the valley was shut because of uprooting of poles and disruption in supply grids. Even the high security Gupkar Road, where the official residences of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and some of her cabinet colleagues are situated, had no electricity 
because of massive power failure.
In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, tourist destinations Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie were cut off from the rest of the state following heavy snowfall overnight, officials said. Electricity supply snapped in Shimla and Manali as power lines were damaged due to falling trees. The cold weather resulted in the freezing of taps.
According to the Shimla Met office, popular spots like the Mall Road, the Ridge, the US Club and Jakhu hills got more than a foot of snow.


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