Heavy snow hits Turkey's NE parts as wildfires rage

ISTANBUL, July 05 (AFP): 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.