Heavy downpour badly disrupts traffic in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Heavy downpour created a ruckus in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest metropolis with 16 million population, causing heavy congestion on roads as traffic density in the city reached 71 percent in the early hours of Sept. 23.

Commuters caught unaware of the precipitation overcrowded the public transport as tailbacks emerged in the Beşiktaş province on the European side of the city and Kadıköy district on the Asian side.

The Turkish State Meteorological Service issued a “yellow warning” for downpours in Istanbul while stressing people to exercise precautions.

Showers are expected to continue intermittently in Istanbul until Sept. 27.
The temperature dropped by 6 to 10 degrees Celsius in the Marmara region, while meteorologists also expect heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in the northwestern provinces of Sakarya and Kocaeli.

“Rainy weather will also hit some provinces in the Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia as of Sept. 24,” meteorologists warned.