Turkey’s north struggles with snow, sun shines in the south

The roads of 25 villages in Trabzon were cut off from connecting roads yesterday due to unexpected and heavy snowfall overnight.

29 September 2009 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL

The first snow of the season has fallen in the Black Sea region, and it has not come without problems. Some villages lost access to the outside world yesterday with the snow blocking the roads connecting them to highways and nearby cities, while power cuts were experienced in some areas. On the same day, tourists and residents enjoyed the 36-degree Celsius weather in Antalya, basking in the sun and swimming in the sea.

Yesterday, snowfall in the city of Gümüşhane lasted throughout the day. The snow was at least 10 centimeters deep in some parts of the city. There were also some power cuts in Gümüşhane due to the heavy snow. In the more mountainous regions, particularly around the Zigana and Ovit passes, the snow was at least 30 centimeters deep by early afternoon. In the early hours of Monday morning, heavy rain and thunder roared across the coastal strip of the Black Sea region, along with snow at the higher altitudes.

Heavy sleet blocked the Ovit Pass, which connects Rize to Erzurum, in the early hours of Monday, but the road was reopened early Monday morning, albeit under the strict supervision of traffic officers. Only vehicles with chains were allowed into the pass. Temperatures were at -2 degrees Celsius in Gümüşhane in the early hours of Monday morning, with meteorology officials expecting a further fall of 2 to 4 degree Celsius in temperature.

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In Trabzon, the roads of 25 villages were cut off from connecting roads. Some people were stranded inside their homes located on the plains near villages. Teams from the provincial administration were working throughout much of the day yesterday to clear the snow. Also yesterday, a school in the district of Kürtün Gümüşhane province was evacuated when the snowfall led to the formation of a lake, a result of snow blanketing the bed of the Harşit Creek. The heavy snowfall also caused a landslide in the village of Günyüzü in Kürtün. Nobody was injured because of the landslide.

The first snow of the season, falling in Gümüşhane, lasted throughout the day.

There was also snowfall in Sivas. Twenty-one people were stranded in a house on a plateau near the village of Yukarıkören due to the heavy snow. Teams have been sent to the area to save those trapped on the plateau.

Meteorology officials said rain and snowfall are expected this week along the coastal strip of the eastern Black Sea region as well as in and around Ordu and Artvin. Officials have issued warnings against floods, lightning and weather which could cause transportation problems.

Sustained winds are expected in the north and northeast of the region, and mild winds are expected in the Mediterranean from the south and southeast, with occasional gusts at higher speeds. Strong winds and rainfall are expected in the Marmara and Aegean regions.