Istanbul, Mar 12 (IANS): A blanket of heavy snow covered Turkey's largest city of Istanbul, disrupting air traffic, bringing sea and land transport to a halt, and forcing school closures.

The country's airlines, including the flag carrier Turkish Airlines, have cancelled most of their flights in Istanbul until Saturday due to the blizzard, reports Xinhua news agency.

Intercity bus services from all the terminals have been suspended, and entrance from Anatolia and Thrace to the city remained close for trucks.

Sea traffic through the Bosphorus Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, has ceased due to low visibility.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu announced that the blizzard would be even stronger on Saturday and asked the city's residents not to go out unless necessary.

Governor of Istanbul Province Ali Yerlikaya earlier announced all the schools and universities across the city were closed until March 14, and public employees were given administrative leave.

Istanbul had been hit by another strong snowfall in January, leaving thousands of people stranded on the roads, paralysing land, sea, and air traffic for at least two consecutive days.