Türkiye to witness season’s first snowfall early next year: Expert

Türkiye will experience the autumn effect between October and December, while the season's first snowfall is expected to arrive at the beginning of the new year, from January through March, due to a weather phenomenon called "La Nina," a prominent Turkish meteorologist has said.

In an interview with the private broadcaster CNN Türk, Orhan Şen declared the time when winter will arrive in Türkiye.

"Considering 2022, winter started across the country in January. It will be the same for 2023. Snowfalls will appear in January, February and March next year," he said, but added: "The western provinces will face snowfalls as of January, but there will be more snowfalls [in the first three months of 2023.]"

When asked about the weather until the end of this year, Şen highlighted that the country will "live the autumn."

"October, November, December… These three will be autumn months without precipitation. Especially in the west, we do not expect rainfalls," he stated.

When asked about the reason for the shift of the seasons, Şen pointed out the weather phenomenon called "La Nina."

"La Nina will impact the world this year," he said of the oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of "El Nino."

During a La Nina period, the sea surface temperature across the eastern equatorial part of the central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal, causing weather changes across the globe.

"In the years when La Nina shows the impact, there are high precipitations [across the world]. Türkiye will live the following months without rain. But, with the start of January, snow will begin."

The name La Nina is derived from Spanish for "the girl," by analogy to El Nino, meaning "the boy."

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