In photos: İstanbul sees first snowfall of winter after warm December

Photos: AA

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The first snowfall of the season started in İstanbul yesterday (January 14) as meteorologists expect a four-day snowfall in the city.

As of this morning, the snowfall continues in the higher-altitude areas of the city, including Başakşehir, Arnavutköy and Çamlıca while it's slushy in areas near sea level.

The city municipality and district municipalities work to keep roads open in areas that receive heavy snowfall, according to Anadolu Agency.

The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality's (IMM) Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM) said the snowfall is expected to increase on the weekend, especially on the shores of the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.

The temperatures will be 3 to 7 Celsius degrees lower than season normals until January 22, according to the estimates by the State Meteorological Service (MGM).

The water level in İstanbul's dams have also increased with the recent rain and snowfall, the İstanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ) said.

The city had only about 45 days of water left as the occupancy rates in its dams had fallen to 19 percent while it increased to 28 percent as of today, according to the İSKİ.

Temperatures were unusually high in İstanbul in December as the country recorded the sixth warmest December in the last 50 years, according to the MGM.

Data compiled by Anadolu Agency from the Meteorological Service showed the historical average temperature for the month was 4.6 Celsius degrees.

That increased 2.6 degrees to 7.2 degrees in December 2020 across the country.

The warmest December recorded since 1971 was in 2010. (TP/VK)