Most of Turkey's eastern and northern regions saw heavy snowfall this week, which disrupted transportation and blocked access to remote locations.
Five provinces grappling with heavy snowfall were forced to shut schools for a day on Monday. Authorities announced that schools had been closed across the entire province of Erzincan, two districts of Ordu, three districts of Giresun, five districts of Van and in a remote district of Iğdır province.
Harsh winter conditions prevailed in most eastern regions while snowfall continued in parts of the Black Sea region in the north since last week. Access to many remote villages has been disrupted due to snowfall while crews work around-the-clock to clear snow-covered roads connecting residential areas. Some provinces recorded temperatures below zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
This week’s forecast shows that snowfall will continue on Tuesday and nearby provinces like Kastamonu, Çorum and Tokat in the north are expected to see snow.
Kars, Erzurum and Ağrı in the east were among the provinces most affected by the snowfall. Crews struggled to keep roads and streets open, pouring salt on icy roads. Motorists scrambled to keep their cars running by covering them with blankets as the freezing temperatures threatened to disrupt their engines. In remote, mountainous areas, municipal crews delivered food to stray animals who were struggling to find something to eat amid the snow.
In the northern province of Trabzon, Search and Rescue Association (AKUT) crews rescued six people who were stranded in Kavaklı highland in the district of Tonya due to snowfall. After six hours of efforts, those who were trapped in their cars when snow blocked the access to the highland were rescued and were reported to be in good health.
Snowfall, on the other hand, was good news for visitors to ski resorts. Kartalkaya in the northern province of Bolu was the ski resort with the highest snowfall, where depth of snow reached to 112 centimeters (44 inches). Palandöken in Erzurum followed it, with 105 centimeters of snowfall blanketing the popular ski destination in the eastern Turkey.
