Heavy snowfall in eastern and western provinces of Turkey blocked roads, and some ferry services scheduled to the islands of Bozcaada and Gökçeada in the Aegean Sea were cancelled because of an expected storm.
Snowstorms engulfed the eastern regions of Turkey, where the climate makes for a particularly harsh winter compared to other regions. Snow continued to hit the region intermittently, especially in the highlands, and blocked roads in and around city centers. Blizzards closed 11 roads in Digor, eight in Arpachai, and three rural roads in Akyak, Sarykamysh, Selim, and Susuz, while traffic was suspended on 31 rural roads in Erzinjan.
The snow cover reached 30 centimeters in the center of Bashkale district in Van and up to 80 centimeters at higher elevations after the snowfall began last night. The snowfall disrupted daily life in Bashkale as 43 roads were closed to traffic.
Municipal services are still working to restore the roads, which have been closed since early this morning. Those driving to work tried to clear their cars and get on the road.
Streets and avenues were littered with snow in Agra after the snowfall began overnight and slowed by morning.
According to the 12th Regional Office of Meteorology, the region, where the weather will be very cloudy, rain will fall as rain in the area of Iğdır, snow and snowfall in Erzurum, Erzincan, Ağrı, Kars, Ardahan and Tunceli.
In the region, where temperatures will be above the seasonal average, wind will blow weakly and infrequently from the south, of moderate strength.
The lowest temperatures overnight were minus 5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kars, 4 degrees Celsius in Ardahan, 2 degrees Celsius in Agri and 1 degree Celsius in Erzurum.
The storm also affected ferry service in the Dardanelles, with local operator GESTAŞ canceling several flights across the strait, as well as flights to the Turkish islands of Gökçeada and Bozcaada in the Aegean Sea due to the expected storm in the region.
Buses from Bozcaada to Gayikli at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. local time have also been cancelled.
On other routes, transportation will continue as usual.