Turkey is once more facing a cold front as snow blanketed the city of Istanbul on Wednesday, with the unseasonable spell of weather drawing the city's traffic to a halt, while other cities are affected by heavy snowfall as well
Istanbul was battered by snowfall in the early hours Wednesday, an unusual occurrence for this time of year in the country's most populated metropolis which has experienced two brief but heavy snow spells over the last two months.
The precipitation first gripped the Asian side of the city before making its way to the European side, bringing the already congested morning traffic to a halt in some places. Although the meteorology forecast had warned about snowfall, most people were expecting it to be a temporary spell, in a month which is usually associated with warm, if not outright hot, weather.
For locals, it was an opportunity to take photos in popular locations blanketed with snow but also an ordeal for motorists. Frustrated drivers had to wait for hours, especially on sections of the D-100 highway on the Asian side. A road connecting Arnavutköy and Hadımköy districts on the European side was closed to traffic when a truck drifting on the icy road overturned. Motorists were stranded for a while as snowplows sent to the area were unable to reach it.
Comment: Ash from volcanic eruptions, together with particulates from meteor 'smoke' and wildfire smoke, all jointly contribute to the increased dust-load in the atmosphere. This changes its electric charge rebalancing mechanisms, producing more intense storms and precipitation in the form of record rainfall, hail, lightning strikes, planetary cooling, atmospheric 'anomalies' etc.
See also: