Winter arrives early as snow blankets parts of country

KASTAMONU

Various regions of Türkiye have welcomed the relatively early arrival of winter as high-altitude regions of several provinces around the country witnessed the season’s first snowfall.

Some regions of the northern province of Kastamonu experienced snow depths exceeding 50 centimeters after the recent snowfall. Teams worked diligently with graders to clear the roads in those areas.

Snowfall similarly paralyzed life in the highlands located in the Black Sea provinces of Trabzon and Giresun.

A shepherd was stranded on the snow-covered Beypınarı Plateau in the Düzköy district of Trabzon, prompting teams from the municipality to come to aid.

Similarly, the country’s disaster and emergency teams rescued citizens stuck in their cars because of severe snowfall in the Alucra district of Giresun.

Heavy snowfall blanketed high regions of another Black Sea city of Rize, transforming Ayder Plateau, one of the most important tourism centers in the country’s northeast, into a snowy wonderland.

Snowfall also affected the country’s eastern regions, with the Digor district in the northeastern province of Kars experiencing its first snowfall on the morning of Oct. 21, blanketing high-altitude settlements in white.

In the upper reaches of Kartalkaya Ski Resort, one of the northern province of Bolu's major winter tourism destinations, the snow depth reached 15 centimeters. In the vicinity of the facilities, it came closer to 10 centimeters.

Snowfall covered high regions of Mount Erciyes, located in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri, with Erciyes Ski Resort, one of Türkiye’s leading ski centers, also experiencing light flurries.

Mount Yıldız Ski Resort in the central Anatolian province of Sivas, located 58 kilometers from the city center and featuring ski and sled runs of varying lengths, also experienced its first snowfall of the season on Oct. 18 this year.