Industry News
In a striking example of growing climate extremes, parts of Turkey’s mountainous northeast woke to snow-covered landscapes on Thursday and Friday, July 3-4, as other parts of the country grapple with scorching temperatures and deadly wildfires.
The snowfall was reported around Rize, a coastal city on the Black Sea approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the Georgian border. The province is known for its rugged topography, with the Kaçkar Mountains rising steeply inland. The region’s highest peak, Kaçkar Dağı, reaches 3,937 meters (12,917 feet) and is one of Turkey’s tallest outside the eastern Anatolian plateau.
Snow also fell in the neighboring provinces of Bayburt and Trabzon, both located in Turkey’s northeastern Black Sea region.Bayburt, an inland province characterized by its high plateaus and rugged mountains, sits at an average altitude of around 1,550 meters (5,085 feet), with peaks reaching over 3,000 meters (9,840 feet). It experiences long, cold winters and is sparsely populated, with a landscape more suited to pastoral farming than tourism. To the north, Trabzon stretches along the Black Sea coast, but quickly rises into steep, forested mountains that form part of the Pontic Alps. While the coastal city itself has a mild maritime climate, the interior highlands—such as the Haldizen Mountains and Uzungöl area—can see snowfall even in early summer, especially above 2,000 meters (6,560 feet), but rarely in July and to this extent.
Snow fell heavily across upland areas including Ovit Yaylasi, a high mountain pasture sitting around 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), and spread across an estimated 100 kilometers (62 miles), blanketing areas from Anzer Yaylasi to the Kağır Mountains National Park. Images circulated on Turkish social media showed fields, roads, and alpine pastures coated in white—a highly unusual sight for early July. The simultaneous snow across these regions underscores the altitude-driven microclimates of northeastern Turkey and highlights the increasingly erratic nature of summer weather in a warming climate.
“In Rize, we’re used to strange weather patterns, but I’ve never seen snow like this in July,” said local journalist Gencaga Karafazlioglu in an interview with France24. “Some older residents remember summer snowfalls decades ago, but nothing of this scale.”
Climate scientists have increasingly warned that such extreme and contradictory weather patterns—ranging from out-of-season snowfall to record-breaking heatwaves—are becoming more frequent due to global warming. Turkey is experiencing both ends of the spectrum this week.
In the country’s western and southern regions, wildfires have erupted amid soaring temperatures and high winds. Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli confirmed on Friday that at least ten major fires were burning, with Izmir, Mugla, and Hatay provinces particularly affected. The blazes have claimed two lives in Izmir, where temperatures are forecast to reach 40°C (104°F) in the coming days.
Fire crews are working to contain the flames, but the situation remains volatile. “Strong winds continue to spread fires, especially near Mugla and Hatay,” Yumakli said.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 44 individuals have been arrested in connection with the fires, with 10 placed in custody. Most of those detained are agricultural workers accused of using machinery that sparked fires amid tinder-dry conditions.
With snow falling in the northeast and fires raging in the south, the contrast reflects a broader climate reality: Turkey, like much of the world, is confronting the destabilizing effects of a rapidly warming planet.
