Turkey is facing a severe snow and cold storm that is sweeping the country from east to west, creating serious complications for land transport and air communications, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights in Istanbul, where snow has reached 40 cm thick in some northern districts of the city.
Classes have been suspended in schools in many provinces of Turkey because of the snowfall, while the authorities have asked citizens to avoid travelling by road unless necessary and warn that adverse weather conditions will continue until at least Sunday. The situation is particularly complicated in provinces in the east such as Erzurum, Kars, Ağrı, Erzincan, Ardahan and Tunceli, where, according to Turkish media reports, at least 1,816 villages remain cut off by the snow and in some areas thermometers are reaching temperatures close to -20 degrees.
In the Black Sea region, on the north coast of the country, snow is also causing problems, mainly in the west of the region and in mountainous areas; in provinces such as Kastamonu there are more than 300 villages isolated by the snowfall, and in Samsun – where temperatures have dropped to -4 ºC – snow and ice have caused several minor road accidents and left many vehicles stranded on the roads.
Where the storm is being left behind is in the provinces of southern Turkey, where snow has only made an appearance in the mountain areas but leaving the main population centres completely untouched.
Snowfall covers Istanbul in white
The same is not true in the Marmara region, especially in Istanbul, where the snowstorm persists and Governor Davut Gül has ordered the total closure of schools for another day throughout the province of Istanbul, where the snowfall has not let up since Wednesday. This, together with the fact that many office workers have been ordered to work remotely from home, has significantly reduced traffic congestion in the Turkish metropolis.
Due to the harsh weather conditions, both Istanbul Airport and the Asian airport of Sabiha Gökçen have been affected and several airlines have announced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Turkish Airlines has set up a website to check flight status, while Pegasus has published an updated list of flights cancelled on 21, 22 and 23 February. Given the weather situation and the problems caused by the snowfall in Istanbul, passengers are advised to check the status of their flight before going to the airport and, if they do, to arrive at least 3 hours before the departure of the flight.
The snowfall has even turned white parts of central Istanbul, where over the weekend minimum temperatures will drop to 4 degrees below zero while maximum temperatures will not exceed 3 ºC. Many city residents have nevertheless taken the opportunity to go out and enjoy the snow, including in the iconic Taksim Square (you can see it live on this webcam), where police and residents engaged in a unique snowball fight.
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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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