Turkey struck by severe agricultural frost, one of the worst in recent history
Crops worth hundreds of millions of dollars have been damaged across Turkey as severe frost hit the country during a three-day cold spell from April 10 to 12, 2025. Farmers across the country applied desperate measures such as lighting fires around the crops to save them and avoid further losses. Authorities are describing this as one of the most severe agricultural frosts in Turkey’s recent history.
Image credit: İbrahim Yumaklı
Turkey experienced a severe frost event from April 10 to 12, 2025, with temperatures plunging as low as -15°C (5°F) in some areas, resulting in widespread crop damage. The frost impacted 36 out of 81 provinces, causing extensive losses across crops such as apricots, apples, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, grapes, and vegetables. Significant losses were reported in Malatya, Manisa, Isparta, and other agricultural regions.
Ibrahim Yumakli, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, described this as one of the most severe agricultural frosts in Turkey’s history, comparing it to the major frost event in 2014.
The western city of Manisa, a key grape-producing province, reported that nearly 80% of the vineyards in the region have been damaged due to the cold spell.
“This year is already lost,” echoed Güngör Levent, a local vineyard owner. “We’re talking about damage in the billions of liras. If we face another frost like this, production will come to a halt. Next year? God only knows.”
The province of Tekirdağ also reported damage as vineyards had already started sprouting, while in central Çorum, many fruit trees also suffered damage.
Mart ve Nisan aylarında, ama özellikle son 3 günlük dönemde (10-11-12 Nisan) hava sıcaklıklarındaki ani düşüşler sonucu don, kar yağışı, dolu olaylarıyla karşı karşıya kaldık.
— İbrahim Yumaklı (@ibrahimyumakli) April 12, 2025
Yer yer sıcaklığın -15 dereceye düştüğü son 3 günde, bazı bölgelerde son 30 yılın en düşük sıcaklık… pic.twitter.com/zdp4pGDAW8
Crops such as apricots, cherries, plums, walnuts, and peaches have also been affected, with widespread losses reported in Malataya province, which produces roughly 85% of the country’s apricots. Apricot, walnut and almond trees were also hit hard by frost and snowfall in the Elazığ region.
Ramazan Özcan, head of the Malatya commodity exchange, MTB, said except for wheat and barley, nearly all agricultural products in the province suffered damage.
According to Özcan, they generate over USD 500 million annually from apricots, which could disappear this year due to the frost.
Farmers in northwestern Bursa and the central province of Nevşehir took desperate measures, lighting fires in orchards to protect blooming fruit trees. Despite similar efforts, in the southwestern city of Isparta, 30 percent of rose production and 40–50 percent of cherry, peach and apricot crops were affected.
Temperatures had begun to drop across Turkey starting April 7 when sudden rainfall impacted all 81 provinces of the country, with some areas experiencing unexpected snow.
Meteorological authorities had warned of a cold front moving in from the Balkans, forecasting significant temperature drops across the country.
The threat of frost is expected to persist through the coming days, leaving farmers across the country worried about further damage.
An Agricultural Frost Warning has been issued for the Aegean, Inner Aegean, and Western Black Sea regions, including Kütahya and Afyonkarahisar, where light frost is expected Monday night into Tuesday morning, April 14 into 15.
References:
1 Türkiye faces one of most severe agricultural frosts in its history: Minister – Hurriyet Daily – April 13, 2025
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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