Heavy snowfall, icy roads and worsening weather conditions have prompted authorities in Turkey to issue an alert and suspend classes in schools in several provinces for at least a day, as meteorologists warn of a persistent winter storm due to a cold snap from the Balkans, which will gradually spread from eastern Anatolia to the country’s western provinces.
According to the latest forecast from the Turkish General Directorate of Meteorology, temperatures will drop significantly below normal values for this time of year due to a cold and rainy spell from the Balkan region. Precipitation is expected to continue for at least three days, with heavy rain and snowfall warnings throughout the country, which has led to the closure of schools in many provinces.
This is the case in Erzurum, where snowfall has intensified especially in higher altitude areas, and all schools in the districts of Aşkale, Tekman, Karayazı and Hınıs have been suspended for the whole day today. In Horasan district, only pupils using school transport have been granted permission, and hours earlier, the governor of the province, Aydın Baruş, also decreed the interruption of educational activity in the districts of Aziziye, Palandöken and Yakutiye, according to Turkish agencies.
In addition, local authorities informed that pregnant women and people with disabilities working in the public sector in these districts will be granted administrative leave and should not go to work. Similar measures were adopted in many districts in other provinces of Turkey, including Gümüşhane, Tunceli, Malatya, Bingöl, Bayburt, Erzincan, Konya, Ordu, Giresun or Kahramanmaraş. In view of the effects of the cold snap, the public has been asked to exercise extreme caution due to the presence of ice and is warned of possible transport disruptions.
Snow avalanche leaves several vehicles buried in snow
On the other hand, there were moments of high tension early this morning in the Sahara mountain pass, located at an altitude of 2,540 metres on the road between the provinces of Ardahan and Artvin, in northeastern Türkiye, where a snow avalanche reached the snowploughs that were working in the area trying to clear the roads, according to the Turkish daily Hürriyet.
Following this event, the situation worsened when road crews sent from Kars province to rescue trapped vehicles were unable to move forward due to heavy snow blizzards in the area and heavy snowfall, and were also blocked, as were rescue teams sent to help those affected by the avalanche. Fortunately, according to the latest information, no one is buried under the snow, but the situation has become extremely dangerous and many vehicles are still buried. The authorities have completely closed the road to traffic.
Yellow alert for 34 provinces, including Istanbul
As the cold and rainy spell from the Balkans intensifies, the General Directorate of Meteorology issued a yellow alert for 34 provinces across Turkey. Temperatures are expected to drop by 4-6 degrees across the country and locally heavy rainfall is expected in the Eastern Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia regions, as well as in the provinces of Ordu, Siirt, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır and Batman.
During the night and early morning, ice formation and frost is expected in the inland and eastern regions of Anatolia, and an avalanche and thaw risk has been issued for elevated areas of the eastern Black Sea and on slopes with heavy snow accumulation in the Eastern Anatolia region. In a statement, the Turkish Meteorological Directorate warned that persistent snowfall in northeastern Eastern Anatolia will intensify in the afternoon, reaching very heavy snowfall in the eastern provinces of Kars, Ardahan, Ağrı, and Iğdır.
Meanwhile, in Istanbul, rain began falling over the city overnight and there are forecasts of sleet and even snow in the northern highlands of the city. Rain is expected to continue intermittently until Friday afternoon; however, despite the sharp drop in temperatures, no snowfall is expected in the coming weeks in the Turkish metropolis.
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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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