Heavy rain hits Turkey, creates chaos in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Cars and pedestrians, especially in Istanbul, experienced localized flooding and traffic chaos this morning that was caused by downpours in the early hours of the day. DHA Photo

The sunny weather that lifted the spirits of Turks during the first two days of the Eid al-Ahda feast has given to way to heavy rain across much of the nation for the final two days of the holiday, resulting in flooding in many parts of the country.

Cars and pedestrians, especially in Istanbul, experienced localized flooding and traffic chaos this morning that was caused by downpours in the early hours of the day.

The conditions’ impact was worse on the Anatolian side of the city as the E-5 highway was forced to close between the Kartal and Pendik districts, only reopening after firefighters helped rescue a number of cars and their occupants that had become stuck in the water.

As public transportation vehicles were also affected adversely by the bad weather conditions, many passengers had to take off and continue their way on foot.

Citizens affected by the rain rushed to closed spaces and bus stations to stay dry.

Forecasters have issued heavy-rain and windstorm warnings for residents in 23 provinces across the country, mainly in the Marmara region and along the eastern Mediterranean coast.

Temperatures, on the other hand, are expected to drop between 4 and 8 degrees countrywide, the General Directorate of Meteorology also said.

Rainfall that started on the night of Oct. 16 caused significant disruption and some flooding in İzmir and Antalya, the General Directorate of Meteorology said, while also noting the possibility of thundershowers.

Authorities asked people, especially motorists, to be on guard for flash flooding, windstorms, whirlwinds, lightning and transportation disruptions.