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Turkey struggles to cope with snowy weather
A cold front from the Balkans entered Turkey through Thrace. The districts of Çorlu, Silivri and Çatalca in the Marmara region began to receive snow on Tuesday afternoon, and snowfall had spread to the entire region by Tuesday evening. Heavy snow in Tekirdağ blocked access to 113 villages and three districts -- Malkara, Şarköy and Hayrabolu -- on Tuesday night. The roads to these districts were opened to traffic early on Wednesday after efforts by teams from the General Directorate of Highways. Seventy village roads were opened to traffic by Wednesday afternoon, but access to 19 villages continued to be blocked late on Wednesday.
In İstanbul, municipal snowplows worked overnight on Tuesday in many high-traffic areas to clear roads and prevent snow from disrupting traffic.
Teams from the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality salted roads on Tuesday evening, with 884 vehicles working through the night to prevent ice from forming on highways. No major roads were reported closed due to snow in İstanbul on Tuesday or Wednesday. However, there was a temporary disruption along the Kabataş-Zeytinburnu tram line yesterday morning, preventing trams from running for half an hour. The Ankara direction of the Bolu Mountain tunnel was also closed to traffic yesterday morning after two trucks slid on the frozen road.
The Aegean province of İzmir, which sees snow only infrequently, received snowfall at higher elevations in the Bornova district. Municipal teams spread salt on the roads to prevent the formation of ice.
On Uludağ Mountain, one of the country’s most important winter tourism centers, snowfall has reached a depth of two meters, 10 centimeters, with temperatures at around minus 12 degrees Celsius and snowfall expected to continue intermittently today.
Weather forecast
Snowfall tapered off in İstanbul yesterday afternoon starting from the European side, with temperatures estimated at 3 degrees Celsius. However, officials warn that roads could continue to be icy through tonight. Temperatures are expected to be 6 degrees Celsius during the day and minus 1 degree overnight. Light snow is expected in İstanbul tomorrow.
The Tekirdağ Meteorology Directorate has announced that rain and snowfall are not expected in Tekirdağ for the next five days.
Snow is, however, expected in central parts of the country such as Niğde, Aksaray, Sivas, Kayseri, Tokat and Yozgat. Meteorologists warned drivers to be cautious on icy roads in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions tonight.
Although heavy snowfall is not expected, subzero temperatures will persist until Sunday. Temperatures are expected to rise next week, with warmer weather lasting through Feb. 15.
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