Densely foggy conditions hindered air, sea and land traffic in Turkey’s northwestern Marmara region on Monday. The adverse conditions actually started Sunday, when vacationers were trying to return home after a nine-day Eid al-Adha holiday.
Particularly in İstanbul, the situation led authorities to restrict air and marine traffic. Some airplanes were unable land at Sabiha Gökçen Airport on the Asian side of the city and were instead advised to land at İstanbul Atatürk Airport on the European shore. These extra landings, combined with the many passengers returning from vacation and the hajj, caused an unexpected intensity at Atatürk, where some travelers had to wait for several hours to retrieve their luggage.
The Bosporus was closed to vessels in transit starting at 1:30 on Monday morning. The authorities later cancelled all ferry trips as well, due to the lack of visibility. The ferries did not begin sailing until around noon. The Dardanelles found itself in a similar situation. Vessels were denied entry into the strait where, according to officials, the range of visibility dropped to less than a few meters.
Land traffic was also obstructed by the fog, particularly on İstanbul’s Asian side near the northwestern province of Düzce. Vehicles trying to enter and leave İstanbul were stuck in heavy traffic due to the dense fog.
The fog had a lesser impact on Ankara but the capital’s residents still had a troublesome Monday, facing difficulties getting to work on time in the morning. Heavy rains are forecast to follow the recent fog. In the week ahead, the officials predict rain particularly in İstanbul and İzmir but, other than the eastern provinces, rainy weather will affect the entire country. The fog in İstanbul should disappear by Tuesday morning, thanks to the southwesterly winds expected to blow through the metropolitan area until this weekend. Citizens residing in the western coastal provinces, as well as in İstanbul, are cautioned to take measures against possible damage due to the strong winds. Temperatures are expected to drop by four or five Celsius degrees throughout Turkey.