Istanbul roasts in 106-year record heatwave

ISTANBUL

Locals in Turkey have been stuggling under soaring temperatures amid a heatwave from North Africa over the past couple of days, with Istanbul breaking its 106-year high temperature record.

The head of Boğaziçi University Kandilli meteorological observatory, Adil Tek, told daily Hürriyet that the 37.2 Celsius degrees observed in Istanbul on June 29 was “a value measured for the first time in 106 years. This means a record has been broken. We are waiting for another record,” Tek said.

Officials urged locals to avoid staying outdoors between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., adding that especially children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses should avoid direct exposure to sunlight. 

Summer temperatures in Istanbul usually feel even hotter due to the city’s high humidity levels.

Many locals reeling from the high temperatures were seen trying to cool down by taking a dip along the shores of the Bosphorus Strait.

“The low pressure in northern Europe is creating a southward-moving air flow toward Italy, Greece and our country. There is low pressure in the north and a hot air current from the south. So we are stuck between the two low air pressures. There is other low pressure in the south of Northern Africa. The regions left between hot air currents are referred to as a ‘crown’ and in these regions cool winds do not blow,” Tek said.

Meteorologists predict that Turkey will start to cool off with rain starting on July 3. Moving in from the northwest, rainfall will reach the western Marmara region on July 4, according to the general directorate of meteorology. By the middle of the week, the rainy weather will move into the Black Sea region.

Temperatures will initially fall about 6-7 degrees celsius and will eventually reach seasonal norms.