Press TV - Unexpected wintry weather and a cold snap have struck many parts of Iran, with snowfall blocking roads and stranding vehicles in several provinces across the country.

Heavy snowfall and snowstorms affected some 10 Iranian provinces on Saturday, mainly in the northern and western parts of the country, with thermometers registering temperatures below zero degrees Celsius in the early days of the last month of autumn.

Many roads in mountainous regions in the provinces of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Alborz, Zanjan, Semnan, Qazvin, Kurdistan, Golestan and Mazandaran witnessed heavy traffic or partial closure due to blizzards and frozen weather conditions.



Rescue teams assisted some 1,800 people trapped in snow-ridden areas, providing shelters for more than 270 others, according to reports.

Emergency workers also helped 153 cars and vehicles get unstuck from heavy snow in the provincial roads.



Police are on high alert in the wake of the premature cold spell and have been deployed along major transportation routes to prevent vehicles not equipped with snow chains from traveling.

The Iran Meteorological Organization has forecast a further decline in weather temperatures across the country for the next couple of days. The cold front is expected to glide out of the country later this week.