Heavy rain expected in west, storm in south

ISTANBUL

Meteorologists have issued a torrential rain warning for some western provinces while expecting strong storms in the country’s south.

The Turkish State Meteorological Service has declared a “yellow alert” warning for 11 provinces, mostly in the south and west of the country, warning citizens to be careful and cautious against the possibilities of floods, lightning, landslides, and strong winds.

The latest weather report of the bureau said the wind will blow strong in the western Mediterranean as of today, suggesting that it will continue until Jan. 14.

As torrential rain is also expected to lash down in the coastal provinces, the report also urged citizens to be careful and cautious against disruptions to transportation due to icing and frost, especially on the Antalya and Konya highway, and against conditions such as floods, strong winds and lightning on the coastline.

Meanwhile, heavy rain is expected to batter the inner parts of the Aegean as of today, as sleet and heavy snowfall are expected in places above 1,200 meters altitude.

The metropolitan city of Istanbul, separately, where the risk of water scarcity became one of the most urgent problems, will witness slight rain until Jan. 15, the bureau said, noting that the precipitation could increase further in the next two days.

The drought experienced over the autumn period has continued since the beginning of the winter in the megacity.