Ağrı sees highest winter precipitation in 66 years

Precipitation in the 2026 winter season, (Dec 2025 to Feb 2026), exceeded both seasonal norms and the same period last year throughout Turkey, according to data from the General Directorate of Meteorology (MGM).
The Mediterranean city of Antalya recorded the highest amount of precipitation throughout the winter with 660.9 kilograms per square meter. The highest increase in precipitation was recorded in Ağrı, eastern Turkey, where rates rose by over 100 percent.
Mount Ağrı, Turkey's highest point at an altitude of 5,137 meters, was covered in a white blanket due to the snowfall. While a 3,000 meter section from the summit to the foothills remained under snow, snow cover also formed on the peaks of other nearby high mountains.
Winter conditions continue in high altitude settlements in the İpekyolu district. In the rural Beşçatak neighborhood, where snow depth has reached half a meter in some areas, residents continue to struggle with harsh conditions despite it being April.
Livestock breeders in the snow covered neighborhood must care for their herds in barns as they cannot yet take them out to pasture.
"Our animals are inside, we have not been able to take them to the plateaus yet. Our village is at an altitude of approximately 2,500 meters. We are still burning stoves," village head Abdullah Barioğlu told AA. (TY/VK)


