Heavy snowfall causes chaos in Turkey - snow chains are compulsory in parts of Greece

Created: 03/11/2022, 14:46

By: Max Darga

Snowfall in Turkey in Istanbul in March 2022. © IMAGO/Hosam Salem

While the sun is shining in Germany and spring fever is slowly waking up, Turkey and Greece are once again being hit by winter.

Istanbul/Athens - It's anything but a little snow.

With heavy snowfalls in Turkey, the weather has paralyzed parts of traffic and public life.

The airlines Pegasus and Turkish Airlines canceled several hundred connections from the two airports in Istanbul for Friday (March 11).

A number of connections should also fail on Saturday.

School lessons are also canceled in some places in Turkey.

Heavy snowfall is also forecast for many places in Greece on Friday and Saturday.

Snow chaos in Turkey and Greece:

It's a rather atypical picture: house roofs in Istanbul covered with a thick layer of snow.

Such a picture presented itself on Friday morning as people trudged through the slushy snow on Taksim Square.

Traffic has been restricted.

Moped and scooter drivers are not allowed to drive their vehicles, as the governor of the Istanbul province announced.

Even the Bosphorus Strait was closed to transit on Thursday due to the unusual weather conditions.

The Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, called on people to stay at home.

But it's not over yet.

The heaviest snowfall is expected for Saturday.

Schools, universities and childcare in Istanbul province closed due to snow

According to the instructions of the Istanbul Provincial Governorate, schools, universities, childcare and other facilities are to remain closed until Monday.

But not only Istanbul is affected by the snow.

In places on the Black Sea, in parts of eastern and western Turkey, schools will remain closed for the time being, as reported by broadcaster CNN Türk.

Snow chains are compulsory in Greece

Anyone who knows Greece as a holiday destination in summer will have to wonder at the weekend.

According to the weather forecast, snow is expected to fall in northern Athens, on the Cyclades islands and even on Crete.

According to the forecasts, it should also snow on the Peloponnese peninsula.

Snow chains are compulsory in many regions and are strictly controlled.

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Just a few weeks ago, surprisingly heavy snowfall caused traffic chaos in both countries, and several thousand people were stuck in their cars on the freeways overnight.