Early snowfall blankets Türkiye’s high peaks in white
RIZE
Winter’s first kiss has dusted Türkiye’s towering peaks with snow, as early September snowfall blankets the highlands of eastern and northeastern provinces, while western regions still bask in late-summer warmth.
Heavy rainfall that has affected Türkiye’s Black Sea region in recent days caused flooding, landslides and damage to infrastructure, but at higher altitudes, the downpours turned into snow.
In the Black Sea province of Rize, the Kaçkar Mountains and İkizdere’s 2,640-meter Ovit Pass were draped in white.
Several other highland pastures also saw snowfall in the region, leaving residents surprised by the early arrival of winter.
In Trabzon’s Çaykara district, various plateaus and highlands, as well as the Soğanlı Mountains, were similarly covered.
In another northeastern province of Bayburt, a sudden snowstorm left a shepherd stranded with his flock on a plateau.
Provincial special administration teams managed to reach the area and rescue the shepherd after opening snow-blocked roads, where snow depth reached 30 centimeters.
The neighboring province of Gümüşhane’s several peaks, along with Taşköprü Plateau, were coated in snow as temperatures fell below freezing overnight.
Meteorological data recorded lows of minus 4.7 degrees Celsius at Zigana Ski Resort, while forecasters expect temperatures to rise again in the coming days.
In the Black Sea city of Artvin, heavy rainfall similarly turned into snow in the highlands.
Further east, the provinces of Ardahan and Kars were also hit by early snowfall.
In Ardahan’s Sahara Mountain and its surrounding plateaus, snow reached up to 10 centimeters, accompanied by thick fog that reduced visibility to just 20–30 meters.
In Kars, snowfall was reported in the town of Kağızman’s highlands, while the ski resort in Sarıkamış, one of Türkiye’s leading winter tourism destinations, welcomed its first snow of the season.
Meanwhile, western Türkiye continues to experience unusually warm and dry conditions, contrasting sharply with the early snowfall in the northeast and east.
These conditions continue to fuel small-scale wildfires across the region.
In Antalya, a wildfire broke out in the Kumköy district but was quickly brought under control thanks to rapid intervention by local firefighting teams.
One hotel was evacuated as a precaution, with measures taken to protect tourists from smoke.
Similarly, a forest fire in Çanakkale’s Ezine district was contained following intensive aerial and ground operations.
Despite these conditions, Türkiye’s tourism sector is thriving due to prolonged summer heat, with resorts in Antalya and other western destinations reporting high occupancy rates and extended late-season bookings through September, October and November.
