The eastern region of Türkiye entered the new year with freezing temperatures as Siberian cold gripped the area. The lowest temperature recorded was on Jan. 1, a bitter minus 25.5 degrees Celsius (minus 13.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Otlukbeli district of Erzincan, located in eastern Anatolia. After experiencing above-normal temperatures in late December, the onset of the new year brought a sharp temperature drop. According to the Meteorological Regional Directorate, Otlukbeli in Erzincan recorded the coldest temperature, followed by other parts of the region, where residents stayed indoors to avoid the extreme cold.
In other areas of the region, temperatures were also frigid. In Ağrı city center, located in eastern Anatolia, the temperature dropped to minus 16.4 degrees Celsius. The city of Erzurum, also in Eastern Anatolia, experienced minus 18.3 degrees Celsius, while Kars city center recorded a chilling minus 14.7 degrees Celsius. In Muş city center, temperatures fell to minus 5.2 degrees Celsius, and in Ardahan city center, the thermometer showed minus 17.7 degrees Celsius.
In Erzurum, the cold caused icicles to form as long as 2 meters from rooftops while fountains in front of mosques froze. Drivers had to scrape ice from their windshields before they could drive, and many residents layered up to stay warm. Some local businesses saw their windows freeze over.
A local resident, 76-year-old Necati Kurban, said: “In the old days, our beards would freeze in this weather. But now, we don’t have the same winters. Despite the cold, we still have to perform ablution, so we dress in layers to stay warm.”
Ayla Çiçek, another local, mentioned: “It’s really cold this year. We didn’t even have a proper summer. The winter feels like the old Erzurum winters. When walking outside, I’m afraid of slipping and breaking something. But there’s nothing we can do about the cold. Our eyelashes and eyebrows freeze.”