The forecast snowfall that returned to Istanbul this morning brought the city to a standstill from the early hours, causing tremendous problems for traffic and road transport and flight cancellations at the city’s airports. The snow, which particularly affected the districts to the north of the city, even fell in Taksim.
The arrival of a cold front from Siberia caused a plunge in temperatures, sweeping across Turkey from east to west until reaching Istanbul, where snow began to fall heavily accompanied by gusts of wind of more than 50 km/h from the early hours of the morning, significantly reducing visibility and seriously complicating road traffic, according to Turkish news agencies.
Districts such as Başakşehir, Arnavutköy and Kağıthane on the European side of the city were some of the worst affected, with drivers forced to reduce speed due to the layer of snow covering the road surface, and even causing several vehicles to become stuck.
Flight cancellations at the city’s airports
Due to the bad weather conditions, the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure confirmed a reduction of 15% in flights at Istanbul Airport – the most important in the city – for today and 20% for Thursday and Friday. Turkish Airlines also announced the cancellation of some 200 flights between now and Friday, although this figure could vary depending on the evolution of the cold and snow storm.
For its part, Sabiha Gökçen Airport, located on the Asian side of the city, did not announce any cancellations for today, although, as a preventive measure, has reduced flights by 10% for 20 February and 15% for 21 February (Friday), so passengers are advised to confirm the status of their flights before going to the airport as changes or cancellations are likely depending on weather conditions.
In view of this situation, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality sent an alert message to all citizens via their mobile phones explaining that ‘heavy snowfall is expected to affect our city for three days’, and advising them that ‘unless it is necessary, it is important to not take private vehicles on the road, to opt for public transport, and to use snow chains and tyres in case of resorting to private vehicles.’
Far from abating, forecasters predict that snowfall will intensify on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd, with maximum temperatures not exceeding 2°C and minimums below 0°C, reaching snow depths of up to 30 cm in some parts of Istanbul, which will be reduced to around 5-10 cm in coastal areas, which could force schools to close in certain districts of the city.
The snowstorm will continue until Sunday
Experts point out that this cold front is especially intense, and is adding to a drop in sea temperature that has intensified the force of the snowfall. Districts north of the city close to the Black Sea such as Arnavutköy, Beykoz or Şile could experience even higher snow depths, and there are warnings that the formation and accumulation of ice will be frequent, especially during the night.
In addition to Istanbul, the low temperatures and snowfall brought by this Siberian cold front are also affecting other provinces in northern, central and eastern Turkey, in many cases forcing the authorities to decree the closure of schools in provinces such as Kırklareli, Tunceli, Bingöl, Tokat and Samsun.
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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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