A cold front moving from the north, northwest, and west has created a highly unexpected, flash snowstorm in the northwestern provinces of the country, IRNA reported.
A blizzard swept through the provincial town of Mehran, Ilam Province reaching speeds of 76 kilometers per hour, causing branches to fall off trees.
Sleet and snow hit West Azerbaijan two nights ago and forced a number of Urumia schools to be closed. This freak event caught the town unawares, who were not expecting to make winter plans, such as turning on heaters.
The decision to close schools was also to help ease the already congested roads. A reported 53 towns and villages close to the Turkish border, about 90 kilometers from the Urumia became unreachable as access roads were blocked.
Ardebil Province did not go unscathed either, causing elementary and secondary school closures in a number of towns including Ardebil City, Namin, Sarayn, Meshkin Shahr and Nayer.
