A powerful supercell storm has struck south-eastern Turkey in the last few hours, leaving one person dead and dozens injured, whilst heavy and unexpected snowfall has affected several parts of the country, marking an unexpected return of winter in May that experts link to the rise in weather-related disasters caused by climate change.
A mass of cold air from the Balkans brought rain, storms, hail and snow to various regions of Türkiye on Sunday. The supercell struck suddenly, particularly in the provinces of Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep on the afternoon of 3 May, bringing daily life to a standstill. According to data from the local authorities in Gaziantep, almost 60 kilograms per square metre of rain fell on the city in just 20 minutes, whilst strong winds toppled trees, ripped off roofs and caused significant damage to parked vehicles, as reported by Turkish media.
In the district of Birecik, in Şanlıurfa, an intense hailstorm accompanied by strong winds, which lasted around 15 minutes, caused a fatal accident when a solar panel fell onto a car; the victim, who was inside the vehicle, was identified as a woman named Nur Çakmak.
The provincial governor confirmed that the storm also left a further 29 people injured, 22 of whom were treated at the public hospital in Birecik itself, whilst another seven, in a more serious condition, were transferred to the central hospital in the provincial capital. During the super storm, the minaret of the Karşıyaka mosque in Birecik collapsed, whilst numerous homes and businesses were also damaged.
For his part, the governor of Gaziantep reported that 39 schools in the province’s districts of Şahinbey, Şehitkamil, Nizip and Yavuzeli suffered damage of varying degrees, forcing classes to be suspended for one day on Monday at these facilities due to collapsed roofs, broken windows and flooding. In addition, heavy rain caused a pile-up on the Tarsus-Adana-Gaziantep motorway, leaving five people injured.
26 provinces on alert for rain and snow
The supercell also affected the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir, where a sudden downpour flooded streets and pavements and caused traffic disruption. In the district of Çınar, the collapse of the roof of a livestock facility due to the storm caused material damage, although there were no casualties. The heavy rain in Diyarbakir caused material damage and disrupted daily life, but fortunately there were no injuries.
The General Directorate of Meteorology issued a yellow-coded weather warning in Turkey on Monday 4 May for 26 provinces – including Adana, Afyonkarahisar, Ankara, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bilecik, Bolu, Bursa, Denizli, Eskişehir, Hatay, Mersin, İzmir, Kastamonu, Kocaeli, Kütahya, Manisa, Kahramanmaraş, Sakarya, Uşak, Zonguldak, Bartın, Yalova, Karabük, Osmaniye and Düzce – in anticipation of “very heavy and intense” rainfall.
The state agency also warned of the risk of avalanches and snowmelt in mountainous areas of the eastern Black Sea and eastern Anatolia. Mixed rain and snow, as well as snowfall, are expected in high-altitude inland areas of the Aegean, Central Anatolia and western Black Sea regions. The cold snap in Anatolia could also bring heavy snowfall to high inland areas, including Ankara, particularly in districts such as Çamlıdere, Kızılcahamam and Haymana. The cold spell in Turkey caused by this supercell is expected to ease from Wednesday.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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