A relative warm spell that has pervaded Istanbul and many other western cities is predicted to end today. The weather forecast shows temperatures dropping up to 16 degrees Celsius across the country due to a cold spell hailing from the Balkans west of the country.

Meteorology experts warn that temperatures, which have been above seasonal normal for weeks, will drop considerably throughout the week, up until Friday.

Istanbul, Turkey's most populated city, will receive rain and possible snow on higher ground starting Tuesday night. The lowest temperature is predicted as 12 degrees for today, and the highest will float around 14 degrees. Temperatures will further drop on Tuesday, with the lowest predicted to be 5 degrees and the highest 7 degrees. On Wednesday, the temperatures will further deteriorate to 3 degrees. It will rise to 13 degrees on Friday.

Snowfall is also forecast for the country's north, east and central provinces. The weather forecast for Monday shows cloudy weather for western and central regions and rainfall for Marmara (where Istanbul is located), the year-round sunny Aegean region and western parts of the usually rainy Black Sea region.

On Tuesday, cloudy weather will be a nationwide phenomenon, and rainfall is predicted for all cities later that day. Meteorologists see a pattern of snowfall on Tuesday east of Marmara as well as central regions.

Istanbul's northern and eastern districts will likely be affected by rainfall accompanied at times with snow on Tuesday night and Wednesday, but it will most probably hit higher ground.

The capital Ankara will also be exposed to rain on Monday evening, and it will likely be upgraded to slight snowfall on Tuesday evening before turning into full-fledged snowfall on Wednesday.