Western Turkey battled heavy snowfall yesterday, while meteorologists warned no cessation was expected in the heavy precipitation today and Friday.
In Istanbul, a major section of the TransEuropean Motorway (TEM) was shut down for hours after a 45-vehicle pile-up due to the heavy snowfall. The accident, which killed one and slightly injured a number of motorists and passengers, led to the closure of the road in Istanbul’s Silivri district on the European side yesterday morning.
Another pile-up closed down a lane between the districts of Zeytinburnu and Bakırkoy on D-100, the other main highway straddling the country’s most populated city. Coupled with rush hour, snowfall caused accidents throughout Istanbul. An accident on the same highway between Maltepe and Kartal, two districts on the Asian side, led to a lengthy traffic jam.
The precipitation that battered the city yesterday and on Tuesday led to a last-minute closure of schools yesterday.
Ferry services in the city were also cancelled, as well as several Turkish Airlines flights yesterday and on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in Turkey, bad weather took its toll on daily life. Roads to hundreds of villages all across the country were closed, as heavy snowfall blocked traffic.
A main highway in the northern province of Bolu, which connects Istanbul and other western cities to central and eastern Turkey, was closed for two hours after a truck overturned on the icy road. Another truck accident shut down a road connecting the western city of Burdur to Antalya on the Mediterranean coast was closed for six hours yesterday, trapping motorists. Aid workers delivered food to stranded motorists and passengers.
Even Izmir, a big, sunny city in western Turkey, which rarely sees snowfall, was hit by the sudden precipitation that led to the closure of schools.
In the capital Ankara, snowfall on higher ground and districts in steep areas like Dikmen and Cankaya led to traffic snarls and accidents, though no road closure was reported in the city.
According to a weather forecast for this week, snowfall will change to rain on Friday in the west, and temperatures will gradually increase until Sunday. The highest temperature is also predicted for that day at 8 degrees Celsius. The rest of Turkey, save for some cities in the east and the southeast, will enjoy higher temperatures and cloudy weather. However, meteorologists warn that rainfall will affect western Turkey on Monday.
Source Daily Sabah
