Turkey to Israel, Jordan on alert for unusually cold winter storm this week

By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

By Eric Leister, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

January 14, 2019, 12:11:06 PM EST

On Tuesday and Wednesday, a potent storm will take aim at areas from Turkey to Israel and Jordan, bringing snow to some areas that do not see wintry weather often.

While areas of rain and mountain snow streaked across parts of Turkey and the Middle East over the weekend, adverse weather will ramp up significantly in these areas beginning on Tuesday.

Widespread snow, rain, strong winds and plunging temperatures are expected to accompany the storm from Tuesday into Wednesday.

Snow or rain changing to snow is expected to sweep from west to east across most of Turkey these days, leading to far-reaching impacts to travel and daily routines.

Rain can change to enough snow to cover roads and sidewalks in Ankara Kayseri and Erzincan. As temperatures plummet Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday night, slushy areas can turn icy and further make conditions slick and treacherous for motorists.

Mostly snow is anticipated to disrupt travel and daily routines in Erzurum and most of northeastern Turkey.

The potential exists for more than 30 cm (12 inches) of snow to pile up in many mountainous communities of Turkey. Gusty winds threaten to blow and drift the snow around and make travel through the passes difficult to impossible.

The bulk of the winter storm may miss Istanbul, but rain can mix with and possibly change to snow by Tuesday evening or night. A light covering of snow may accumulate in the hills around the city.

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This storm is expected to pull a significant amount of cold air southward, not only across Turkey but also into the Middle East. That may bring snow or a changeover from rain to snow to the higher terrain of western Syria to Israel and Jordan.

Snowflakes may even make an appearance in Damascus, with accumulating snow in the nearby mountains.

Rain and a couple of thunderstorms are expected along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, including in Beirut, Lebanon, and Tel Aviv, Israel.

"Regardless of whether rain or snow falls, there is concern for strong winds to whip areas from Israel to Jordan and Lebanon," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk. These winds may also howl across Syria.

The winds can be strong enough to trigger scattered power outages, as well as kick up blowing dust ahead of any meaningful rain.

As chilly air settles in on Wednesday night, brisk winds blowing on the storm's back side may persist and create even lower AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures.

The areas impacted by the storm Tuesday and Wednesday can turn calmer later in the week as the storm spreads snow eastward into the mountains of Iran.

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