Heavy storms accompanied by rain, snow batter Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Heavy storms accompanied by torrential rains have battered the country’s largest metropolis Istanbul, while high parts of the Asia side will experience more snow during the week.

Following the Turkish State Meteorological Service’s warning against the possibility of storms and sleet in Istanbul from the weekend, strong winds have battered the Marmara Region.

Heavy storms disrupted traffic and paralyzed daily life in many provinces of the region, especially in Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines canceled a total of 238 flights, 72 of which were domestic and 166 of which were international flights at Istanbul Airport on Feb. 4 and 5 due to adverse weather conditions and expected snowfall.

Some ferry services in Istanbul and the northwestern province of Çanakkale’s Gökçeada and Bozcada districts were also canceled due to the expected rough and stormy weather at the Marmara Sea and the northern parts of the Aegean Sea.

With cold waves coming from the Thrace region, snowfall gripped the higher parts of the Asian side of Istanbul.

The bureau issued a “yellow alert” for snowfall in Istanbul. A “yellow alert” is issued when there is a “potential threat by a weather event.”

The bureau also alerted that there will be snowfall across the province until noon on Feb. 6, warning citizens to practice caution against possible hazards and disruptions in transportation due to icing and frost in places at higher parts of the metropolis.

Meanwhile, the capital Ankara, blanketed by snowfall on the weekend, will continue to experience more snow.

The eastern provinces have also been battling heavy snowfall, with roads blocked in several remote areas of the provinces due to continuous snow.

The roads of nearly 350 settlements in the eastern province of Van were blocked due to heavy snow, while 305 of them were opened following the strenuous efforts of the municipal teams.

Snow removal efforts are ongoing on 160 village roads in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa’s Siverek district and 210 in the eastern province of Elazığ.