Istanbul got a respite from the sweltering heat on July 9 and 10, with cooler temperatures, rainfall and overcast skies forecast, as authorities have issued flash flood warnings for parts of the city.
The Turkish State Meteorological Service issued a “yellow alert” for Istanbul, as well as the northwestern provinces of Çanakkale, Edirne, Tekirdağ and Kırklareli, warning of heavy rainfall across the European side of the city and the neighboring Thrace region.
Temperatures are forecast to drop by 5 to 6 degrees Celsius, falling to around 27 degrees, while rainfall is expected to intensify in the afternoon.
Officials warned that heavy downpours could trigger flash floods, waterlogging, lightning, transportation disruptions and strong winds, urging residents to exercise caution.
The Istanbul Municipality’s Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM) also warned that heavy local thunderstorms, expected to begin around 8 a.m., could affect different parts of the city until 6 p.m.
Rainfall is forecast to reach between 10 and 20 kilograms per square meter across the city, while northerly winds are expected to bring a noticeable drop in temperatures.
The warning came just days after torrential rain caused flooding in several Istanbul districts over the weekend.
Among the hardest-hit areas was the secondhand booksellers’ market in the Üsküdar district, where floodwaters rose to nearly 1 meter, inundating shops and damaging hundreds of books.
Booksellers scrambled to pump water out of their stores while trying to salvage waterlogged books from their shelves, highlighting the vulnerability of the historic market to sudden downpours.
