Cold weather, snowfall hit Turkey, flights canceled

The first snowfall of the year hit Istanbul on Wednesday with temperatures nearing 0 degrees Celsius, while the rest of Turkey was severely affected by the precipitation, especially in the northern regions. Experts warn this is only the beginning, as the country will face lower temperatures and more snowfall starting on Thursday until the weekend.

Though no apparent disruptions to daily life were visible on Wednesday, bad weather hampered flights from Istanbul's two airports. Turkey's flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) announced 95 flight cancellations on Wednesday and Thursday due to adverse weather conditions. Both domestic flights and international flights were canceled by THY while private carriers, including budget airline Pegasus, also announced a string of cancellations.

Thursday's canceled flights from Istanbul Atatürk Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport include flights to eastern and northern Turkish cities as well as to Almaty, Kabul, Basra, Milan, Baku, Venice, Hamburg, Brussels, Skopje, Sarajevo, Tel Aviv and Oslo. Additional crews were deployed at two airports to keep the runways clear of snow.

Meteorology experts warn that temperatures in Istanbul will float around minus 1 degree Celsius on Thursday, and strong winds and blizzards are expected. Winds reaching up to 70 kilometers per hour and accompanying snowfall will likely disrupt ferry services as well.

Snow depth will be as high as 20 centimeters on higher ground in the city on Thursday and much higher on Friday. Saturday will see partly cloudy weather while temperatures will rise next week with the highest temperature estimated at 12 degrees Celsius. Snowfall will transition to sleet next week.

The Istanbul Governorate urged drivers not to use their vehicles except in emergency situations and to put chains on their tires. It also warned citizens not to travel outdoors far from urban areas during the snowfall.

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is also on alert in the face of the snowfall. Authorities said 1,114 snow plows and crews will be deployed on the city's road network around the clock, and roads will be frequently de-iced. Municipality officials also said the city's homeless will be accommodated at guest houses and large sports halls throughout the period of snowfall and freezing weather. Snow plows will also keep the city's mass transit lanes open. The metrobus, a popular means of transportation in the city with its exclusive lanes, experienced slowdowns last year due to heavy snowfall that forced hundreds of people to walk for hours in freezing weather.

Elsewhere in Turkey, snowfall was much more intense. The Bolu Mountain Passage, a main transit point connecting central, eastern and northern Turkey to the west, saw heavy traffic stemming from accidents due to bad weather. Roads to remote villages were also closed in snow-stricken areas on Wednesday. Authorities said access to 134 villages in Tokat, Kastamonu and Sinop in northern Turkey were closed due to snowfall.

Daily life in eastern Turkey, which already grapples with snowfall, was heavily hit by snowstorms. Crews were working to clear the road to two neighborhoods in the eastern city of Van as the news went to print after residents were stranded. Snowfall accompanies temperatures that are expected to drop to as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius until the weekend. Snowfall also hit central Turkey, including the cities of Kayseri, Sivas, Yozgat and Nevşehir, which were blanketed with snow on Wednesday.

Record fine issued to company for failure to clear snowy road

Authorities issued a record fine of TL 1.3 million ($446,000) to a company tasked with keeping a road clear after it failed to do so last year in western Turkey.

The unprecedented fine was handed to the company for not clearing two roads connecting the western city of Balıkesir to the cities of Istanbul and Bursa, where drivers and passengers were stranded for about 45 hours due to heavy snowfall.

The fine was calculated for every hour the roads, which are two main routes for travelers from the north of Turkey to the west and southwest, remained closed. The closure had sparked outrage and emergency crews were deployed, delivering food aid to hundreds of people on the road. The roads were finally cleared with the assistance of municipality crews and crews from the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD).

The fine was announced yesterday, also a day with heavy snow that may affect the same routes. Authorities ruled out the possibility of another shutdown of the roads where the same company will oversee the clearing work due to a two-year contract with the state. Yet, the media outlets report that subcontractors leasing snowplows to the company have decided to terminate the leasing agreements as the company failed to pay overdue payments.

Legal experts say the fine may pave the way for compensation lawsuits against the company if stranded motorists can prove their claims for damages.