Snowfall brings traffic in Istanbul to a standstill! Critical warning from AKOM and the Meteorological Service
With the snowfall continuing to affect Istanbul, traffic became gridlocked again during the morning hours. Despite schools being on break, data from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) shows that traffic density on main routes reached 80 percent, with some roads turning red.
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Snow, which began to show its effect in Istanbul yesterday, continues to fall intermittently as a blizzard. Following the precipitation that continued throughout the night, the higher parts of the city were completely covered in a white blanket.
Snow was effective in Çatalca, Sarıyer, and Arnavutköy on the European side; and in Sultanbeyli, Sancaktepe, Çekmeköy, and Üsküdar on the Anatolian side.
Çamlıca Hill, one of the iconic spots on the Anatolian side, Beykoz Karlıtepe, and the Tepeüstü neighborhood of Ümraniye were covered in white in a short time.
With the snow brought by the cold air wave, the Ertuğrul Gazi neighborhood in the higher parts of Pendik was completely covered in white. Neighborhood residents and children, taking advantage of the snowfall, took to the streets.
Municipal teams have increased salting and snow-clearing efforts to keep main roads open. Authorities warned drivers to be careful against the risk of icing and frost.
WILL THE SNOWFALL CONTINUE?
According to the latest forecasts from the General Directorate of Meteorology, snow and sleet will be seen in places in Istanbul today as well. While the air temperature is expected to hover around 6 degrees, it is predicted that the city will have a very cloudy and intermittently rainy day, with the precipitation intensifying from time to time.
WARNING FROM AKOM
In a statement, AKOM also stated that snow and sleet could continue throughout the day and asked citizens to be careful.
TRAFFIC GRIDLOCKED
The snowfall, which increased in intensity during the night, continued in the morning. Despite the semester break, there was traffic congestion across the city.
Due to millions of people setting out at the same time and adverse weather conditions, vehicles are struggling to move on main arteries, streets, and connecting roads.
Traffic density in the megacity reached 80 percent.
On the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, which connects the two sides, congestion in the direction from Anatolia to Europe begins from the O-4 connection road. On the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, traffic congestion is notable on the line between Çakmak and Kavacık.