As the New Year’s echoes faded, a relentless snowstorm has tightened its grip on Istanbul, plunging the metropolis into chaos and leaving motorists stranded as heavy accumulation paralyzed the city’s major arteries.
Following the urgent alerts issued by the Turkish State Meteorological Service, the snowfall surged into a fierce whiteout that battered the city’s northern districts.
On the European side, districts like Sarıyer and Arnavutköy bore the brunt of the storm’s fury, as a heavy mantle of snow rapidly buried roads, rooftops and vehicles under an unrelenting winter shroud.
Traffic slowed to a crawl in Sarıyer, where motorists engaged in a desperate struggle against the elements as vehicles skidded across ice-slicked lanes.
The chaos extended to the northern Marmara motorway, where the sheer intensity of the storm brought several cars to a definitive halt, forcing exhausted drivers to abandon the road and wait for rescue.
On the Asian side, the storm intensified into a fierce blizzard over Beykoz, Ümraniye and Çekmeköy, turning the hilly landscape into a treacherous icy maze.
In Beykoz, the morning became a test of community resilience as residents were seen battling the cold to push stranded vehicles up steep, snow-choked inclines.
With accumulation reaching 10 centimeters in higher elevations, the treacherous conditions triggered a series of traffic accidents.
Authorities warned that temperatures across Istanbul are set to plunge 3 to 6 degrees Celsius below seasonal averages until mid-January, offering only brief respites on Jan. 3 and 6.
