Snow expected in Istanbul: Winter chill set to grip city over weekend

Cold weather with strong winds is set to affect Marmara and Aegean regions starting on Nov. 20, with snow expected to fall in some areas over the weekend.

Dilek Caliskan from NTV has issued warnings for the coming days, highlighting potential weather changes, particularly for Istanbul, where snow may arrive on Saturday evening.

Dry start to fall

The first weeks of October and November have been unusually dry across Türkiye, but this is set to change.

Powerful jet streams coming from Canada will bring rain from Europe towards Türkiye, signaling the return of wet conditions.

Caliskan warned that strong rain is expected in Istanbul on Thursday and Saturday.

Winds, stormy conditions ahead

This week, the wind will shift direction, starting as a warm southerly (Lodos) and later switching to a colder northerly wind. From Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon, the Lodos winds are expected to intensify, reaching speeds of 65-75 km/h in Istanbul, Bursa, Bolu, Zonguldak, Canakkale and Izmir.

Heavy rain to impact Istanbul, Marmara regions

Caliskan also mentioned that Thursday evening will bring intense rain to Istanbul and the Marmara region.

Europe is set to send a cold front to Türkiye on Saturday. This cold air will first bring rain, followed by snow in many parts of the country, including the Anatolian region on Sunday.

With the arrival of cold weather, snow may fall in Istanbul on Saturday evening.

Caliskan noted that this could mark the first snowfall of the season for the city.