Istanbul was virtually gridlocked on 12 January following a winter spell that combined low temperatures with rain and snow to turn streets into slippery surfaces, forcing widespread school closures and severely affecting land, sea and air transport, with dozens of flights cancelled at the city’s main airports.
The cold snap from the Balkans and Russia made itself felt in the early hours of the morning in the Silivri and Çatalca districts of western Istanbul, before moving into the northern highlands of the city as dawn broke. While the central districts of the Turkish metropolis suffered freezing rain, the higher elevations on both sides of the Bosphorus were covered by a white blanket of snow.
In the face of severely worsening weather conditions, the Istanbul Governor’s Office ordered the suspension of all classroom education for the day on Monday, as reported by the Turkish daily Hürriyet. The measure, announced by Governor Davut Gül on Sunday night, affects hundreds of schools in Turkey’s largest metropolitan area.
In a statement released on Governor Gül’s official account, authorities said weather reports point to adverse conditions across the city, prompting the closure of classrooms today. In addition, administrative leave was granted to certain public employees, including people with disabilities, pregnant women, veterans and women with dependent children under the age of eight, while citizens in general are urged to take precautions and stay informed about weather conditions.
Dozens of flights cancelled by Turkish Airlines, Pegasus and Ajet
Although the suspension of classes eased the usual heavy traffic in Istanbul during the morning, the snow collapsed access to bridges and expressways and severely affected air travel: Turkish Airlines cancelled 54 round-trip flights at Istanbul Airport, while at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Pegasus and Ajet airlines cancelled 46 and 24 flights respectively. You can check the flight status of Turkey’s main airlines via these links:
The Turkish State Meteorological Service has issued a yellow alert in dozens of provinces due to the risk of heavy snowfall, floods and avalanches. In Ankara , only transport-dependent education in rural areas has been suspended for the time being, but the provinces of south-eastern Turkey and eastern Anatolia are particularly hard hit by the snowfall: for example, in Tunceli province, school closures have been announced for 48 hours after dozens of villages were cut off. The accumulation of snow has also caused damage to power lines in the region and forced emergency crews to rescue stranded drivers in very poor visibility conditions.
According to the Turkish General Directorate of Meteorology, very cloudy skies are expected in Istanbul on Monday, 12 January, with precipitation in the form of mixed rain and snow and intermittent snowfall. Temperatures will be below normal, between 2°C and 5°C, with strong north and north-easterly winds and wind gusts of 40 to 60 km/h. The official forecast for this week is as follows:
- Tuesday 13: partly cloudy with intermittent snow and temperatures of -1 °C / 4 °C.
- Wednesday 14: partly cloudy with occasional rain and temperatures of 3°C / 10°C.
- Thursday 15: partly cloudy with temperatures of 8°C / 12°C.
- Friday 16th: partly cloudy with temperatures of 7°C / 12°C.
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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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