Heavy snow hits Turkey's northeast as wildfires rage
by AFP Staff Writers
Istanbul (AFP) July 4, 2025

A rare blanket of heavy snow fell on parts of northeastern Turkey on Friday as other parts of the country battled a growing number of wildfires.

Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and intense extreme weather events, from droughts to heatwaves and hailstorms.

Temperatures plunged in mountainous areas inland from Rize, a town on Turkey's northeastern Black Sea coast about 120 kilometres (75 miles) from the border with Georgia.

Gencaga Karafazlioglu, a journalist in Rize, said he had never before seen snow in July.

"In Rize, we're used to weather anomalies. We've had snow several times in March but never this much. The older generation say they saw snow in July 30 or 40 years ago but never this much."

In Ovit Yaylasi, a plateau some 2,500 metres (8,200 feet) above sea level, fields were blanketed in white after snowfall, social media footage showed.

The snowfall covered an area stretching at least 100 kilometres, from Anzer Yaylasi through the Kackar Mountains National Park and beyond.

"The town of Artvin was the worst hit," Karafazlioglu said. Artvin is about 50km inland.

Elsewhere, firefighters battled at least 10 "major" forest fires on Friday, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told a press conference.

The minister said that wildfires in Izmir province, where two people died on Thursday and temperatures were forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the coming days, were now mainly under control.

He added that flames fanned by strong winds that threatened Mugla in the southwest of the country and Hatay in the south were still a concern.

Yumakli said there was an "intense struggle" to control the blaze in Hatay, which is near the border with Syria.

There had been 624 wildfires in the past week and that many had been caused by faulty electric cables, he added.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that 44 suspects had been arrested and 10 placed in detention over fires. He said that most were workers or farmers using machinery that had caused sparks.

Record cold grips Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
Santiago (AFP) July 4, 2025 - A polar air mass has brought record low temperatures to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, causing at least 15 deaths and forcing governments to restrict gas supplies and activate emergency shelters.

The three South American countries have all recorded sharply below-zero temperatures as the polar air originated from Antarctica and swept across the region.

In Argentina, at least nine homeless people have died from the cold this winter, according to NGO Proyecto 7.

The capital Buenos Aires recorded its lowest temperature since 1991 at -1.9 degrees Celcius (28.6 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, while the coastal city of Miramar saw snow for the first time in 34 years. Further south, the town of Maquinchao recorded -18C on Tuesday.

Electricity demand caused cuts across Buenos Aires, leaving thousands without power for over 24 hours in some areas.

The government suspended gas supplies to industries and petrol stations Wednesday to ensure household supplies, and removed price controls on gas cylinders Thursday.

- Desert snow -

Uruguay declared a nationwide "red alert" after six people died, allowing President Yamandu Orsi's government to forcibly move homeless people to shelters.

Montevideo recorded its lowest maximum temperature since 1967 at 5.8C on June 30, according to meteorologist Mario Bidegain.

Chile also activated homeless shelter plans during the coldest days. The city of Chillan, 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Santiago, hit -9.3C, according to the Chilean Meteorological Directorate.

"What happened this week in Chile and the Southern Cone in general is a cold wave caused by an escape of a polar air mass from Antarctica," climatologist Raul Cordero from the University of Santiago told AFP.

Snow even fell in parts of the Atacama Desert, the world's driest, for the first time in a decade.

"It is not so common for these cold air masses to extend so far north, so we cannot rule out that this is also caused by climate change," meteorologist Arnaldo Zuniga told AFP.

The region expects relief in the coming days, with Buenos Aires reaching 12C on Thursday, Montevideo 14C and Santiago 24.7C.

"I was quite surprised by the change from cold to hot -- the change was very drastic," student Dafne Naranjo, 18, said in Santiago.

Climatologist Cordero said heatwaves have become more frequent than cold spells in recent years.

"The frequency of heatwaves has tripled, whether in summer or winter, not only in the Southern Cone but throughout the world," he said.

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