Warnings in succession for Istanbul! AKOM has announced the date for snowfall.

14.03.2025 15:07

According to the Meteorology in Istanbul, the weather will remain above seasonal norms until Sunday, and then it will suddenly get colder. The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change issued a warning, drawing attention to the sharp drop in temperatures and snowfall starting from Tuesday. A similar warning also came from AKOM. Snow is expected in higher elevations from Wednesday night to Thursday.

Last month, snowfall was effective in Istanbul and many regions of the country, and there was a drop in air temperatures. However, in recent days, air temperatures in Istanbul have been above seasonal norms. According to the latest forecasts from the General Directorate of Meteorology (MGM), partly and occasionally very cloudy weather is expected in the western parts of the country as well as in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions. On the other hand, a warning has been issued that dust clouds from North Africa will affect Istanbul. Adil Tek, a meteorology engineer at the Kandilli Observatory Meteorology Laboratory, stated that the effects of the dust will last for a few days, after which a noticeable drop in temperatures is expected.

"THOSE WITH RESPIRATORY DISORDERS AND THE ELDERLY NEED TO BE CAREFUL"

Emphasizing that especially those with respiratory disorders and the elderly need to be cautious, Adil Tek said, "There is an air mass coming from North Africa. Not only is there dust, but temperatures are also rising along with it. There is an African-origin flow over us. The dust from the Sahara is coming towards us, but the concentration values are not very high. It has primarily shown its effects more in the western part of the country, mainly in Marmara and Aegean regions, but it is also widespread across the country. Concentration values are somewhat higher in Marmara and Aegean. This dust transfer actually started yesterday and the day before. It will continue until the 14th-15th of the month. In fact, temperatures are rising to levels of 15-16 degrees. Along with them, the flow of dust will continue towards us. Especially those with respiratory disorders and the elderly need to be careful. They should not go out much. Those who do go out should wear masks," he said.

"TEMPERATURES WILL REACH PEAK VALUES ON SUNDAY"

Stating that temperatures will be above seasonal norms in March, Tek said, "We attribute this situation somewhat to climate change, but of course, the basis of climate change is the increasing frequency of such temperatures and the breaking of record values. We group these under climate change. In March, temperature values will rise and reach 27-28 degrees in Istanbul. We are currently at the Meteorology Tower of the Kandilli Observatory. Regular measurements have been taken here without interruption since 1911. We evaluated these measurements and compared them with previous years. We looked at whether we have ever encountered a value of 28 degrees for Istanbul. We have never encountered such values before. The temperatures that will rise until next weekend will peak by Sunday. The values that have reached there are unprecedented when compared to measurements over the past 110 years. In other words, there will be record temperatures for those days. We will be facing such a situation for the first time, and one of the important mechanisms of climate change is the increase in temperatures. The accumulation of record temperatures in recent years and with this increase, our prediction is that warming will continue, and we will constantly see this temperature rise," he stated.

"COLD WEATHER COMING NEXT WEEK WILL ALSO BRING SNOWFALL"

Tek also mentioned that air temperatures will drop after Sunday, saying, "For the near term, precipitation is coming. Until Sunday, temperatures will rise, and dust will come. Temperatures will peak. After Sunday, the dust will lose its effect; however, there is a cold air mass coming from the north. Temperatures will drop suddenly. There will be a sudden drop in temperatures within 3 days. Rain will follow. We will also hear about snowfall next week. In other words, we can say that we expect significant changes in the weather over the next 4-5 days, or even within a week. The cold air coming next week will also bring snowfall. Especially in the Western Black Sea, Central Anatolia, the inner parts of the Aegean, and of course, Eastern Anatolia will be among the places that will receive snowfall as usual; but I want to emphasize here. People in Ankara did not receive much snowfall in the previous precipitation events. More precipitation fell around Ankara. This incoming system, the system coming from the north, will also leave snowfall in Ankara. It seems that the people of Ankara will be satisfied with snow this time. The probability of snowfall will be much higher starting from next Wednesday," he expressed.

AKOM ALSO WARNED: THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF SNOW IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS ON THURSDAY

On the other hand, the Disaster Affairs Department of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, AKOM, published the weekly weather forecast report for March 14, 2025, Friday. According to the report; in Istanbul, air temperatures will start around 15 degrees today and rise to 23 degrees by noon. While mostly sunny weather is expected during the day, no precipitation is forecasted. It is noted that the wind blowing from the southwest may occasionally increase in intensity and create strong winds. However, the weather in Istanbul will suddenly turn cold. The air temperature is expected to reach 25 degrees over the weekend and drop to around 5 degrees next week.

According to AKOM, temperatures are expected to reach 24-25 degrees on March 15, Saturday, and March 16, Sunday, while it is predicted that the southwest wind may increase in strength and reach storm levels in the afternoon and evening hours on Sunday. However, starting from March 17, Monday, due to the cold air mass coming from the Balkans, temperatures are expected to drop rapidly and fall to around 5 degrees by midweek. There is a possibility of snowfall in higher elevations on the nights of March 19, Wednesday, and March 20, Thursday.

According to AKOM's meteorological assessment, while the first half of March will be like summer, it is stated that winter conditions will be effective between March 18 and March 23. It is predicted that temperatures will be 6-8 degrees below seasonal norms. It is anticipated that temperatures will rise back to seasonal norms during the last week of March and the week of Ramadan.

AKOM has stated that citizens of Istanbul should be cautious against the expected southwesterly storm over the weekend and the subsequent cold wave, urging them to take precautions against sudden temperature changes.

SNOW WARNING

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has issued a warning regarding the sharp drop in temperatures and snowfall starting from Tuesday. The ministry's social media post included the following statements:

Cold and rainy weather is coming.

According to the latest weather forecast report from our General Directorate of Meteorology; our country will be under the influence of cold and rainy weather starting from Tuesday, March 18.

It is expected that air temperatures will decrease by 10 to 15 degrees in the northwestern parts of the country on Tuesday, and across the country on Wednesday, falling below seasonal norms.

It is important for our citizens to be cautious against snowfall, icing, and frost events that may occur due to the sudden drop in temperatures, and to follow early warnings.