Provinces in Turkey’s Anatolian heartland and eastern regions are feeling the impact of harsh winter this week. Snowstorms, sporadic precipitation have disrupted daily life in most cities after a brief respite from bad weather following last month’s cold, snowy spell.

The roads remained closed for hundreds of villages and some small towns while schools, which reopened after a midterm break, were shut down again due to adverse weather conditions.

In the central province of Konya, almost all roads connecting it to its neighbors were closed for hours between Wednesday night and Thursday. Crews delivered food and water to people stranded on roads closed due to blizzards while efforts to clear off the piles of snow along roads continued.

Heavy vehicles, including buses, were banned from inter-city travel in the province while schools were closed in 21 districts of Konya. Only a road connecting the province to Karaman, a neighboring province which is a former district of Konya, remains open.

Local authorities announced the closure of schools and reduced public sector working hours due to snowfall in Aksaray, Sivas, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, Karaman, Niğde, Çankırı and Afyonkarahisar. Schools remained closed Thursday in two towns in the southeastern province of Hakkari and a town in the central province of Kayseri.