Authorities warn of more heavy rains and strong winds in western, southern Turkey

ISTANBUL

Antalya (in the picture), Istanbul and İzmir were hit by heavy rains during the night of Oct. 16. The General Directorate of Meteorology warned that heavy rainfalls will continue on Oct. 17.

Authorities predicted on Oct. 17 that heavy rains that hit western Turkey during the early hours of the morning would continue, warning that the windstorm was likely to cause flooding in the Marmara region and along the Mediterranean coast.
 
Rainfall that started on the night of Oct. 16 has caused significant disruption in several parts of Istanbul and some flooding in İzmir and Antalya as Turkey’s General Directorate of Meteorology said that some thunderstorms might occur for a successive night.
 
The rains in Istanbul were particularly heavy on the Asian side, causing a small stream in Istanbul’s Ümraniye district to overflow, causing a flood which forced the residents to clear the streets of snakes which had been carried there by the water from the stream. 
 
İzmir and its coast were battered by strong winds and a small tornado was spotted near the Urla district.
 
Officials said that more heavy rainfall is expected in the provinces of Balıkesir, Bursa, Bilecik, Sakarya, Yalova, Edirne and Kırklareli that surround Istanbul.
 
The clouds will then move to the western Black Sea provinces of Bolu, Düzce and Zonguldak, reports said. Rainfall is also expected along the Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts.
 
The cold front will move to eastern and southeastern provinces at the week-end, while sunshine will be prevalent in the western areas. The temperatures, on the other hand, will notice a sharp drop of between 6 and 12 degrees countrywide, the General Directorate of Meteorology also said.