Heavy snow has paralyzed parts of traffic and public life in Turkey. For Friday, the airlines Pegasus and Turkish Airlines canceled several hundred connections from the two airports in Istanbul, and several connections are also said to be canceled on Saturday. Classes are also canceled in many parts of Turkey.
On Friday morning there was a dense blanket of snow on the roofs of Istanbul’s houses, and people were trudging through gray mud on the central Taksim Square. Mopeds and scooters are not allowed to be on the road, as the governor of the Istanbul province announced. The passage through the Bosphorus Strait was prohibited on Thursday due to the weather conditions. The Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, called on people to stay at home if possible. The heaviest snowfall is not expected until Saturday.
Snowfall expected in Crete
Schools, universities, childcare and other facilities are to remain closed until Monday on the instructions of the Istanbul Provincial Governorate. the snow does not only affect the 16 million metropolis. In places on the Black Sea, in parts of eastern and western Turkey, schools will remain closed for the time being, as reported by broadcaster CNN Türk.
According to the weather service, it snowed in Greece at the weekend in northern Athens as well as on the Cyclades islands and even on Crete. Also on the Peloponnese peninsula snow expected. Snow chains are compulsory in many regions and are strictly controlled.
Just a few weeks ago, surprisingly heavy snowfall caused traffic chaos in both countries, and several thousand people were stuck in their cars on the freeways overnight.
Pictures of the snow chaos in January:
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Source: Nachrichten
