Unexpected Heavy Snow Snarls N. Tehran Traffic

Heavy, unforeseen snowfall blanketed the streets of north Tehran on Saturday, causing traffic chaos and forcing the closure of schools, authorities in the Iranian capital said.
Crews of municipal workers were battling to clear roads and pavements in parts of the capital, where snow began falling at the start of the morning rush hour and continued through the day.
"Snow started at a time when there is usually high traffic and as you can imagine, this worsened traffic congestion," Tehran District 1 Mayor Hamid Mousavi told ISNA.
The backed-up traffic prevented the use of snow ploughs and forced the municipality to deploy staff to clear the snow manually, he added.
“Despite the poor driving conditions and the fact that many vehicles lacked tire chains, only a few accidents have been reported,” a city official was quoted as saying by IRIB News.
Schools in some districts were ordered closed in the afternoon.
"Due to the coldness of the weather, snow and a forecast of continuing snowfall, all schools will be closed this afternoon in districts one to five and district 22 of Tehran," deputy governor general, Mohammad Taqizadeh, said.