Snow blankets several Iranian cities, shuts roads, schools

January 28, 2018 - Heavy snowfall blanketed much of Iran on Sunday, closing schools and airports while trapping cars in major intercity highways.

The storm touched more than 20 provinces and over two-thirds of the population, delivering its heaviest punch to the north where it dumped more than 80 centimeters of snow in the altitudes, presstv.com reported.

Some motorists on a major highway between the capital Tehran and Karaj to its west had to spend a grueling 10 hours or so for a travel of 42 km as drifting snow and fender-benders stranded thousands of commuters.

Flights were cancelled across much of the country, including Tehran where planes were diverted to the central cities of Tehran and Yazd.

A heavily used rail service between Tehran and the holy city of Mashhad was also suspended due to the snow buildup. Pilgrims were given temporary shelter at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini near Tehran as another major highway between Tehran and the holy city of Qom remained closed. 

In Tehran, the storm apparently caught authorities off guard as they dawdled way after the late morning on whether to declare state offices closed. Parts of the capital reported outages in some neighborhoods because broken branches had knocked down power lines. 

Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh said there was no disruption in gas supply across the country but advised consumers to economize.

Authorities also urged motorists to drive carefully amid reduced visibility and ice patches forming on many roads.

Police said they had helped many stranded commuters in the north and west but the extent of the blizzard has yet to emerge, with many towns and villages likely to have been cut off from the outside world.

Heavy snow in Tehran shuts schools, airports

This is the first major snowfall of the season, generating a bout of hope in the country which had been witnessing one of its worst dry spells in decades this year.

The first heavy snow of the year gave a white cover to Tehran on Sunday and led to heavy traffic in some areas.

Heavy snowfall in Iran’s capital has shut the two main airports of the city while the authorities have announced that all schools across Tehran will also be closed on Sunday, MNA reported.

Imam Khomeini Airport’s runway has been closed due to heavy snowfall and attempts are made to clear the runway at Mehrabad Airport in central Tehran.

Since mid-January until now, some Iranian cities have witnessed rainfall and snowfall despite the fact that the country as a whole is facing lack of rainfall and precipitation since the start of the raining season compared to last year.

In Tehran, temperatures plunged to -5ºC on Sunday, making it the capital's coldest night of the year, while other provinces experienced temperatures as low as -18ºC.