The long awaited snowfall started at Istanbul's high locations around 4:00 pm on Monday. It is expected to last until Wednesday evening and be particularly heavy on the Anatolian side along with strong winds.The Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS) has given a snow alarm for most of Turkey and urged citizens to take necessary precautions against transporting obstacles in the strong winds.TSMS said that snow reaching 5-15 centimeters deep is expected in Istanbul's high locations, while the snow depth in Ankara is expected to be 10 to 20 centimeters.