Turkey is bracing itself for a weekend of yet more snowy weather. In Istanbul, snowfall was set to start late Friday and blanket the city with up to 9 centimeters.
Temperatures will float around 5 degrees below seasonal norms and hover at 1 degree Celsius at their lowest, while strong winds of up to 50 kilometers per hour are expected to batter the city. Authorities have warned drivers about slippery, snowy roads and advised them to take the necessary precautions. Snowfall and cold weather is expected to continue well into the early hours of Monday.
Meteorology experts have also warned of more heavy snowfall for southeastern Turkey in the cities of Diyarbakır, Batman, Siirt and Şırnak over the weekend. In Karlıova (literally "Snowy Plain"), a district of Bingöl province, schools have been closed for a week, with the shutdown expected to continue well into the next week as well. Access to 20 villages in the area has been cut off due to snowfall concentrated over the town center that has accumulated to around 40 centimeters. Local officials say they clear "100 truckloads of snow" every day. "But roads are covered with snow within an hour of clearing," a municipality worker says.
In the eastern city of Malatya, strong winds continue to disrupt daily life, knocking down trees and lampposts. Authorities warn that the bad weather will continue until Monday.
