Majority of Turkey braces for cold snap breezing from the west

ISTANBUL

The majority of the country is bracing for cold weather that is expected to be effective over the weekend as the meteorology directorate warned of “extreme cold snap” that will drop the temperature 10 to 15 degrees below seasonal normal. 

In a statement issued on Jan. 6, the office said the northwestern parts of Turkey would be the first to be hit by the cold breezes, and as of Jan. 7, the Marmara, Aegean, Western Black Sea, Western Anatolia and Central Anatolian provinces of the country will start experiencing the negative effects of the cold weather. The snap is expected to be effective until the middle of the following week and to drop the temperatures by ten degrees. The statement also warned of icy conditions. 

Snowfall is also expected in Istanbul and Ankara. As Istanbul Governor’s Office issued a statement saying that the snow across province would intensify and continue until midday of Jan. 7. The height of the snow is expected to reach up to 20 centimeters. 

Turkish Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu also confirmed the warnings of the expected snow and said the falls will be effective countrywide. 

Air traffic is also expected to suffer from the cold snap that is expected to hit Istanbul, as Turkish Airlines (THY) announced on Jan. 6 that it had canceled at least 192 scheduled domestic and international flights due to bad weather conditions, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

THY announced that it had canceled domestic and international flights planned for Jan. 7 at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen and Atatürk International airports, urging its passengers to monitor the latest updates on official websites or call centers before their flights. 
    
Atatürk International Airport also took measures against bad weather conditions, with the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ) announcing that 30 percent of flights scheduled between on Jan. 7 and 8 would be canceled. 

The DHMİ advised passengers to monitor their flights on the airlines’ official websites. 
 
The bad weather conditions have also affected the city’s maritime traffic. Istanbul’s Fast Ferry and Sea Bus Company (IDO) announced the cancelation of all its inter-city services due to the conditions, while Bursa’s BUDO also canceled many trips to and from Istanbul.