Strong winter storm likely to bring widespread impacts, slow travel across Turkey
A large storm system tracking across Turkey will bring flooding rain and heavy snow to portions of the country into Thursday.
The storm will first moved into western Turkey on Tuesday, bringing a dose of rain to Istanbul and Izmir. Rain will change to snow in the mountains of northwest Turkey into Wednesday morning, leading to slick travel.
Some snow could mix with the rain in Istanbul on Tuesday night, though temperatures should be mild enough to limit any accumulation to just the highest of hills around the city.
As this storm moves eastward through Wednesday, rain in cities such as Eskisehir and Ankara will change to snow and lead to dangerous travel. Travelers on Wednesday morning should allow for extra driving time, as roads could be slick.
Another aspect of this storm will be heavy rainfall along the southern coast of Turkey, especially from Alanya to Mersin and Adana. A burst of heavy rain through Wednesday could lead to flash flooding, especially in the mountainous terrain along the coastline.
A period of heavy rain can also move into western Syria and Lebanon later on Wednesday and Wednesday night.
Rain and snow will taper off across the western half of Turkey on Wednesday as the storm progresses farther to the east.
In eastern Turkey, heavy snow is expected to fall from Wednesday into Thursday. Locations from Erzincan to Erzurum may be buried by 20-40 cm (8-16 inches) of snow. An AccuWeather Local StormMax&trade of 60 cm (24 inches) is possible. This could close roadways, cutting off rural communities.
Farther to the south in areas such as Elazig and Malatya rain, or a mix of rain and snow, may change to snow early Thursday as temperatures fall below freezing.
By Thursday morning, travel in much of eastern Turkey could be treacherous.
Conditions across Turkey will improve through the day on Thursday, though below-freezing temperatures will mean roads could remain slippery into the end of the week.
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