Early winter brings heavy snowfall to Turkey
A sudden and severe snowfall impacted various regions of Turkey, especially high-altitude areas, beginning in mid-October 2024. On October 21, the General Directorate of Meteorology issued a Yellow Alert for seven provinces, Samsun, Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon, Rize, Gümüşhane, and Artvin, warning of heavy rain and snowfall.
Turkey faces early winter with heavy snowfall on October 18, 2024. Image credit: Disaster News
- Snow depths reached up to 50 cm (20 inches) and 100 cm (40 inches) in some regions, causing significant disruptions to transportation and daily life.
- Emergency crews were deployed to assist stranded individuals and clear roads as the unexpected early winter conditions caught many residents off guard, with temperatures plunging well below seasonal norms.
A sudden and intense snowfall event has affected regions across Turkey starting mid-October, marking an early onset of the 2024/25 winter season.
In provinces such as Kastamonu, snow accumulation has reached nearly 50 cm (20 inches) and in some locations up to 100 cm (40 inches), significantly disrupting daily activities and transportation infrastructure.
On October 21, the General Directorate of Meteorology issued a Yellow Alert for seven northern and eastern Turkey provinces, warning of heavy rain and snowfall in the coming days.
The affected provinces include Samsun, Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon, Rize, Gümüşhane, and Artvin. In these areas, meteorologists predicted rainfall up to 21 – 75 mm (0.8 – 3 inches) and heavy snowfall at higher altitudes.
In particular, the high-altitude regions above 1 100-1 200 m (3 608 – 3 937 feet) in the eastern parts of these provinces are expected to experience heavy snowfall, with snow levels potentially accumulating.
These severe weather conditions are expected to cause significant disruptions, including flooding, landslides, icing, and frost, potentially affecting transportation and daily life.
Snowfall was observed on October 18, and temperatures swiftly decreased nationwide.
Snowfall and temperature dip in many regions also occurred around October 21, blanketing several places with snow.
Many places saw temperatures drop far below the seasonal normal, with Erzurum reaching -4 °C (25 °F).
Snowfall was forecasted for the interior highlands of the Eastern Black Sea, while rain and showers will dominate in the lower regions of the Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia.
Local governments acted immediately, dispatching snowplows and road-clearing teams. In Kastamonu, where snow depths reached 50 cm (20 inches), graders were deployed to clean key roads, while emergency management personnel helped stranded travelers in rural regions.
Emergency crews were called in Giresun province to rescue individuals stuck in their cars owing to snow-covered roadways.
In a similar situation, a shepherd became trapped on the snow-blanketed Beypınarı Plateau in the Düzköy district of Trabzon, prompting municipal teams to respond and provide assistance.
The early blizzard has raised concerns about disruptions to transportation and daily activities, and weather warnings have been issued for potential hazards like icy roads, landslides, and power outages in impacted areas.
The country’s ski resorts, including Uludağ and Mount Erciyes, experienced their first snowfall, resulting in an early start for winter tourism.
High-altitude places in these regions, such as the Ayder Plateau in Rize and the Kartalkaya Ski Resort in Bolu, had heavy snowfalls.
The early and severe snowfall has caught many people off guard in Turkey, with areas of the country experiencing winter conditions months ahead of schedule.
Emergency crews are working around the clock to clean roads and assist those affected, while visitors and skiers appreciate the early start to the winter season.
References:
1 Temperatures have plummeted, and many cities have been covered in white – Haberler – October 18, 2024
2 Meteorology warning for 7 provinces: Heavy snow and rain expected – Business Turkey – October 21, 2024
3 Winter arrives early as snow blankets parts of country – Hurriyet Daily News – October 23, 2024
Harsha Borah is an experienced content writer with a proven track record in the industry. Harsha has worked with LitSpark Solutions and Whateveryourdose, honing skills in creating engaging content across various platforms. A gold medalist in a state-level writing competition organized by Assam Tourism, Harsha’s travelogue on Tezpur was widely appreciated. Harsha’s article, "The Dark Tale of the Only Judge in India to Be Hanged," ranks second on Google and has garnered over 11 000 views and 8 900 reads on Medium. Outside of writing, Harsha enjoys reading books and solving jigsaw puzzles.
Hmmm…, looks like a good Nor’easter struck Turkey in October…, the Climate Change cultists have been trumpeting all summer long about”extended heat waves” or if any rainstorm hits its now categorized as “record-breaking, unprecedented!”…, well it seems that instead of a prolonged scorching summer heat-wave (“we’ve predicted this!”) there’s now an early winter (“er,ah…, we predicted this also!?”)