Heavy snow cripples Istanbul as freezing front sweeps through nation

ISTANBUL

Istanbul ground to a slushy halt on Jan. 12 as a wintry mix of rain and snow flurries turned streets into slippery hazards, prompting citywide school closures and snarling traffic on major highways amid a biting cold wave across Türkiye.

Winter's arrival was signaled by an overnight surge of snow through Istanbul’s western gates, Silivri and Çatalca, before it claimed the city's northern peaks and hilltops by dawn.

While central districts grappled with icy rain, the higher elevations on both continents were transformed into a seamless white landscape.

As temperatures plummeted, the Istanbul Governor’s Office ordered a city-wide suspension of in-person education for Jan. 12.

An eerie calm settled over the megacity’s usually gridlocked arteries, as the suspension of in-person classes significantly thinned the morning commute.

Despite the lighter volume, the heavy snow still managed to choke major highways and bridge entrances.

Arctic conditions also forced a massive grounded wave across the city’s aviation hubs, with Turkish Airlines axing 54 round-trip flights at Istanbul Airport.

Simultaneously, the freeze paralyzed Sabiha Gökçen Airport on the Asian side, where the airlines Pegasus and AJet scrapped 46 and 24 flights, respectively.

Istanbul’s cold snap is part of a relentless weather front currently engulfing the country.

The Turkish State Meteorological Service issued a yellow alert for dozens of regions, warning that the combination of heavy snowfall, flooding and avalanche risks poses a significant threat to public safety.

While the capital Ankara suspended only transport-based education from rural areas, provinces, including the northwestern cities of Yalova and Kocaeli, halted all classes.

In other cities, such as the central province of Yozgat and the Black Sea city of Sinop, school closures varied by district based on the shifting intensity of the cold wave.

Eastern Türkiye emerged as the hardest-hit region, with Tunceli province announcing a 48-hour school closure after heavy snow severed access to numerous rural villages.

Snow-heavy skies crippled rural power lines in the region, while emergency teams fought through whiteout conditions to reach motorists trapped on frozen lifelines.

Despite these hazards, the "crystal snow" of the eastern city of Kars’ Sarıkamış and the 60-centimeter drifts atop the northwestern city of Bursa’s Uludağ have drawn thousands of tourists, pushing hotel occupancy rates near 100 percent.

Even in the rugged terrain of the northern province of Gümüşhane, the harsh conditions have not deterred enthusiasts: A 29-person expedition successfully navigated an 11-kilometer trek through waist-deep snow and gale-force winds.