What a far cry the weather this week is compared with the searing heat of last summer when temperatures reached 45c. Now we are enduring sub zero temperatures and even snow.

Last night snow fell in the village of Ovacik just up the hill from Fethiye and actually settled. “It was enough to make a few snow balls” reported one of our readers. The snow melted as the day progressed but this was still a rare event to see and apparently the first snow fall at this altitude since 1997.

Other parts of Turkey have also been affected by the cold snap with significant snow falling in Istanbul and Ankara as a cold front moves down from the Black Sea. The cold snap is expected to continue for the next few days according to weather forecasts.