Weather bureau issues ‘yellow alert’ for 18 provinces

ISTANBUL

As a cold spell takes its toll in the country, the Turkish State Meteorological Service has issued a “yellow alert” for 18 of Türkiye’s 81 provinces, with the Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia regions likely to witness sleet and occasional snowfall the coming weekend.

Heavy rains, downpours and thunderstorms will be observed in the inner parts of the Eastern Black Sea, while sleet may be observed at the high altitude of Eastern Anatolian provinces, according to the forecast.

The bureau issued a yellow alert for the eastern provinces of Ağrı, Iğdır, Van, Muş, Bitlis and Kars, southeastern provinces of Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Hakkari, Mardin, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak and Iğdır and the Black Sea provinces of Giresun, Samsun, Trabzon and Ordu.

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

The precipitation may also be strong in the eastern part of the Southeastern Anatolia region, especially in Şırnak, Bitlis, Şanlıurfa and Iğdır provinces.

The bureau warned that people residing in these regions should be cautious against possible hazardous events such as flooding and landslides, while disruption in the transportation service may also occur.

Haze and fog will form in the Marmara region and the inner parts of the Central Anatolian region during the week, especially at night and in the mornings.

The wind is expected to blow strongly (40-70 km/h) from the southern and southwestern directions of the Eastern Anatolian region.

It is estimated that the temperatures will decrease by 3 to 5 degrees across the country starting from the weekend.

Following the end of precipitation, sleet, and cold weather, the temperature will begin to rise again, starting in the western provinces. However, there will be no precipitation in the first three to four days.