Chilly winter coming to country: Expert

ISTANBUL

Winter is coming to the country as of the weekend and the temperature will start to fall below the seasonal normal from the beginning of the week, a prominent meteorologist has warned.

Reminding that the temperatures are above the seasonal normal throughout the country in September and October, Orhan Şen pointed out that the country will eventually experience the winter’s cold as of the weekend.

The temperatures will also start to decrease by 4 to 8 degrees from the beginning of the week, Şen estimated.

“Get your coats ready for the weekend and check whether your stoves are working as you will light them,” Şen stated.

Meanwhile, the Turkish State Meteorological Service has also stated that the temperature will drop in the Marmara, Mediterranean regions and inland areas of the country while other regions will not experience a significant temperature decrease.

The Mediterranean, Central Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia regions and the western parts of Eastern Anatolia Region will be experiencing heavy rains and downpours, according to the forecast.

Thunderstorms are expected in the Mediterranean coastal areas, while sleet and occasional snow may be observed in the high parts of the eastern province of Sivas and the southeastern provinces of Tunceli, Erzincan and Bingöl.

The wind is expected to affect mostly the southern and the western parts of the country, the bureau stated.

The bureau also issued a “yellow alert” for seven provinces comprising the southeastern provinces of Adıyaman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Tunceli and Şanlıurfa and the eastern provinces of Elazığ and Malatya.

A “yellow alert” is issued when there is a “potential threat by a weather event.”

The bureau warned that people residing in these seven provinces should be cautious against possible disasters such as flooding and landslide, while disruption in the transportation service may be experienced.

Erciyes Ski Center in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri, one of the most important centers of winter tourism, also received its share from the snowfall that started in the high parts of Türkiye. With the snowfall, parts of the Erciyes Mountain higher than 3,000 meters were covered with snow, while the snow thickness reached 8 centimeters in some regions in the district.