Heavy snowfall to blanket parts of Türkiye

ISTANBUL

With heavy snowfall expected on the weekend in the western Black Sea and southeastern and eastern Anatolia regions, the Turkish State Meteorological Service has issued "yellow" and "orange" alerts for 31 out of the country's 81 provinces.

According to the data from the Istanbul Municipality Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM), cold and rainy weather from the Balkans is expected to be effective in Istanbul over the weekend. The precipitation, which will be seen as rain on Jan. 27, is expected to take effect as sleet and snow starting on Jan. 28.

Temperatures, which are below seasonal norms throughout the Marmara Region, especially in Istanbul, are expected to fall by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over the weekend and drop to winter values.

In Istanbul, temperatures are expected to be 2 to 5 degrees Celsius below seasonal norms until Jan. 31 and 1 to 3 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms between Feb. 1 and 10.

According to the latest assessments made by the bureau, very cloudy and rainy weather will prevail in the east of Marmara, eastern Mediterranean, Central Anatolia, Black Sea, eastern and southeastern Anatolia, Afyonkarahisar, Kütahya and Isparta surroundings and coastal parts of Kırklareli.

The precipitation is expected to be in the form of rain and showers on the coasts and heavy rain and snow in the inland areas: Bolu, Kastamonu, and Karabük surroundings, high parts of Zonguldak, Bartın and Düzce provinces, high parts of the south and east of Sakarya, southeastern Anatolia region, northeastern Eastern Anatolia, Hatay, Elazığ, Bingöl, Muş, Bitlis, Şırnak and Hakkari surroundings, coastal areas of Adana, southern parts of Van, Erzincan, Tunceli and eastern districts of Malatya. Therefore, the bureau has warned citizens to exercise caution against possible hazardous situations.

Haze and fog in the morning and night hours and icing and frost in the interior and eastern regions are expected.

The bureau issued a "yellow alert" for Adıyaman, Ağrı, Bingöl, Bitlis, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzincan, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Kars, Kastamonu, Malatya, Mardin, Muş, Sakarya, Siirt, Tunceli, Şanlıurfa, Van, Zonguldak, Bayburt, Batman, Bartın, Ardahan, Karabük, Kilis, Osmaniye and Düzce. Meanwhile, an "orange alert" was issued for snow in Bolu, Hakkari, and Şırnak.

A "yellow alert" indicates a potential threat by a weather event, while an "orange alert" signifies a possibility of damage and loss in a dangerous weather situation

Temperatures are predicted to decrease by 2 to 4 degrees in the southern and western parts of the country, with no significant change elsewhere. Wind is predicted to blow from north and northwest generally and from south and southeast directions in eastern parts with light to moderate force.