Heavy snowfall disrupts life in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Heavy snowfall and cold weather conditions disrupted traffic and paralyzed daily life in Istanbul on Feb. 17.

According to the Metropolitan Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM), temperatures will rise to seasonal norms on Feb. 18.

“Snow thickness in the high and rural areas of the city reached up to 30 centimeters,” said AKOM in a statement.

According to the statement, more than 500 trees and electrical poles have collapsed since the beginning of the snowfall arriving from the Balkans since Feb. 12.

Some 218 vehicles have been damaged and 106 roofs have collapsed. No one has been injured in any of the incidents.

“The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is working with 1,351 vehicles and 7,031 personnel in its efforts to combat winter conditions,” it said.

“Road maintenance teams have poured 5,252 tons of salt and 7 tons of solution onto roads for traffic safety.”

Orhan Şen, a prominent meteorologist, also noted that the effects of the cold weather in Istanbul will start ceasing as of Feb. 17.

Snow in Istanbul will end on Feb. 18, but the State Meteorological Service kept its warnings that precipitation will continue in all regions.

Meteorologists warned residents in the Marmara, Black Sea and Central Anatolian provinces against heavy snowfall on Feb. 17. They warned the residents of Istanbul’s neighboring provinces Kocaeli and Sakarya that they should take measures against frost.

The officials also said heavy rainfall was expected on the Mediterranean coasts on Feb. 17 and 18.

For eastern provinces, experts issued notices against avalanche risks in mountainous areas.