A bout of wintry weather slammed the Marmara region over the weekend, with high winds uprooting trees and rain flooding some roads as temperatures fell across the nation. In Çanakkale province on Saturday, Berna Örnek, a 15-year-old girl, died due to carbon monoxide leaks from a faulty heater while six members of her family were hospitalized. İstanbul was also struck by a strong storm on Sunday, complete with high winds and torrential rainfall, forcing İstanbul Ferry Lines (İDO) to cancel ferries between Yalova and İstanbul. İDO said ferries between Bostancı and Adalar were also cancelled.
Flash floods in the district of Fethiye in the Aegean province of Muğla on Saturday damaged 10 houses and large agricultural fields as well as some bridges. The Delice Stream in the village of Karalar in southern Antalya’s Gazipaşa district also overflowed because of a downpour, damaging houses and fields. Nearly 300 homes were flooded in the district of Samandağ in the southern province of Hatay on Saturday. Anatakya Mayor Lütfü Savaş told the Anatolia news agency that one person died and another was injured in the Kardeşler neighborhood when a wall collapsed due to heavy rain.
The eastern part of the country has been gripped by snow since Friday. Due to the heavy snowfall 288 village roads in the region were closed to traffic, and some cities were hit by avalanches. One hundred ten village roads in Tunceli, 68 in Bingöl, 60 in Erzurum and 50 in Kars are still closed to traffic, Anatolia reported. The snow was 16 centimeters deep in Ağrı, 12 centimeters in Kars, 5 centimeters in Ardahan and 9 centimeters deep in Erzurum. The coldest temperatures in the east on Saturday night were in Ardahan (-9 degrees Celsius), Erzurum (-4), Kars (0), Ağrı (0) and Erzincan (1).
Meteorology officials warned that storms and heavy rains would persist in some regions of the country this week. The State Meteorological Affairs General Directorate has announced that storms will severely affect the Aegean and Western Mediterranean regions as well as Central Anatolia and central parts of the Black Sea region. Officials also said heavy rains are expected in the Marmara region from Sunday night on, warning about flash floods and carbon monoxide poisoning due to faulty heaters. The İstanbul Governor’s Office also issued a statement on Sunday, urging relevant institutions to take necessary measures against flash flooding and the frequent lightning expected in the city. “It is of crucial importance for people to be informed about the weather forecast before taking to the roads and to pay maximum attention on the road to ensure their safety,” read the statement. Snowfall in eastern Anatolia is also expected to persist until Tuesday.
