Snow has been forecasted for the past couple of weeks but its failure to arrive left many residents of Turkey's western provinces skeptical; the wait is over, though, with the residents of Muğla receiving their first snowfall in years and snow expected in İstanbul today and tomorrow. 

 

A storm that entered the country from Trakya is now heading toward inland regions. A cold front moving in from the Balkans has brought snow to many cities throughout Turkey, and the resulting precipitation is expected to last at least five days. İstanbulites can expect rainfall mixed with snow over the weekend in northwestern districts, with heavier snowfall at higher altitudes.

 

Residents of Muğla were caught by surprise on Friday by snowfall in the early morning hours -- for the first time in years. When the snowfall got heavier as the day went on, residents strolled through the snow and took pictures. School children enjoyed the drifts -- many of them seeing the white stuff for the first time in their lives -- getting into snowball fights at recess time.

 

Snowfall in Muğla is expected to continue intermittently. Twenty-four years ago the most snowfall in the city was measured at 25 centimeters, and after the current bout of snow ends another measurement will be performed. Snowfall has already reached 10 centimeters in Muğla's Yılanlı and Göktepe areas, and elsewhere, Fethiye's Seki district has reached 20 centimeters.

 

In the rest of Turkey, harsh winter conditions are continuing without pause. In Uşak, primary and secondary schools in the city center and the Eşme district were given Friday off because of the heavy snowfall there.

 

In Edirne, the snow has continued for days and temperatures are averaging 1 degree Celsius. As of Friday morning, the city had seen 32.5 kilograms of snowfall per square meter in just 24 hours.

 

In Kayseri, transportation to 33 villages has been cut off because of snowfall, and in the Sivas area an additional 40 village roads are blocked. In Tekirdağ, rainfall is forecast for today and snowfall for tomorrow.