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Heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures disrupted daily life across Türkiye as the country welcomed the new year, prompting widespread school closures on Friday, Jan. 2, due to icing and transportation risks.
A powerful cold air mass moving in from Iceland continued to affect the country, with temperatures expected to drop by as much as 10 degrees Celsius in some areas. The General Directorate of Meteorology forecast widespread snowfall and showers and issued yellow-coded weather warnings for dozens of provinces. Snowfall was reported in Istanbul and many other cities, where residential areas and vehicles were blanketed.
Following meteorological warnings, governorships across the country announced consecutive decisions to suspend education to ensure the safety of students and staff.
In Istanbul, snowfall intensified in some districts on the first day of the new year, causing disruptions to transportation. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM) said snowfall increased in the afternoon and warned that icing and freezing conditions were expected to persist until Friday morning.
As a precaution, schools were closed for one day in the districts of Sile, Sariyer, Beykoz, Kagithane and Besiktas.
Meanwhile, Istanbul Technical University announced that classes would be held online.
Authorities said it remained unclear whether education would be suspended across the entire city, urging residents to follow official announcements as adverse weather conditions continue.
Education was suspended across entire provinces or in selected districts in many parts of Türkiye, including Kahramanmaras, Elazig, Gumushane, Agri, Diyarbakir, Sinop, Malatya, Kars, Sirnak, Hakkari, Nigde, Amasya, Bolu, Tunceli, Mus, Siirt, Adiyaman, Batman, Bingol, Gaziantep, Corum, Yozgat, Zonguldak, Bartin, Tokat, Van, Sanliurfa, Bitlis, Aksaray, Karaman, Duzce, Erzurum, Ardahan, Kayseri, Sivas, Afyonkarahisar, Samsun, Bayburt, Trabzon, Kastamonu, Nevsehir, Mardin, Artvin, Karabuk, Giresun and Kutahya.
In several provinces, including Elazig, Diyarbakir, Sirnak and Malatya, education had already been suspended for multiple days due to ongoing snowfall.
Some provinces, such as Ordu, Konya, Osmaniye, Sakarya and Kocaeli, announced closures limited to certain districts or to schools operating transported education.
Universities were also affected in several locations, including Tunceli, Mardin and Karabuk, where higher education institutions suspended classes.
Governorship statements cited heavy snowfall, blizzards, severe icing, frost, black ice and avalanche risks as reasons for the closures. In Hakkari, authorities reported snow depths of up to 1 meter in residential areas and more than 2 meters in some rural locations, with avalanche danger described as very high in elevated regions.
In Nigde, officials warned that temperatures could drop to minus 18 degrees Celsius, while Bartin authorities said temperatures could fall to minus 11 degrees, increasing severe icing risks.
Many governorships also placed certain public employees on administrative leave, including pregnant and disabled staff, employees with chronic illnesses, and parents of young children, while noting that personnel in essential 24-hour services such as health and security would be assessed separately.
Meanwhile, Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said the meteorology directorate had issued yellow-coded warnings for multiple provinces for both Thursday and Friday. It added that 112 Emergency Call Centers received nearly 2,000 calls related to heavy snowfall and weather-related incidents.
Authorities urged citizens to remain cautious, avoid unnecessary travel and follow official announcements as severe winter conditions persist across much of the country.
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