Istanbul was hit on Thursday by one of the most intense storms in recent years, with hurricane-force winds, heavy rain and a sharp drop in temperatures disrupting daily life in the Turkish metropolis. The weather phenomenon has also left heavy waves causing severe disruptions to shipping, and is also affecting other provinces in western Turkey.
Following warnings issued by the Turkish State Meteorological Service, the winds began to blow strongly from early this morning, especially in the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, according to Turkish media reports. Records show that winds have exceeded 100 kilometres per hour in some areas, reaching level 11 on the Beaufort scale, which would leave this storm as a violent storm, just one step away from hurricane strength.
Authorities have warned of progressively worsening conditions throughout the day. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Disaster Coordination Centre (AKOM) reported that the rain and storm had hit the whole city hard, while temperatures, which had reached 17-18 degrees earlier this week, are expected to drop by 10 degrees by tonight.
Ferry services suspended in Istanbul
Due to the sea conditions, all ferry services in Istanbul have been suspended. Passenger shipping company BUDO cancelled connections between Mudanya (Bursa) and the Istanbul district of Kabataş, as well as routes between Istanbul and Yalova, stating that all main services between 07:00 and 13:00 were cancelled. Meanwhile, Istanbul’s public ferry operator Şehir Hatları announced the suspension of, among others, connections to the Princes’ Islands from Maltepe, Bostancı, Beşiktaş and Kabataş, as well as routes between Anadolu Hisarı and Eminönü, due to high winds and strong waves.
In some districts of the city, wind gusts exceeded 70 km/h. In coastal areas of Istanbul such as Beşiktaş, the strong waves hit the coastline and created high risk situations; also in Bahçelievler, in the west of the city, one person was injured after being trapped under a tree blown down by the wind, although it was not serious; not far from there, in Bakırköy, another tree was blown down by the wind, falling on four vehicles and forcing the temporary closure of one lane. Turkish press also reported that planes experienced difficulties landing at Sabiha Gökçen Airport due to the wind.
Thunderstorms, plummeting temperatures and snow for the next few days
The authorities also issued a warning for heavy thunderstorms in eastern Marmara, the western Mediterranean region and large parts of Central Anatolia and the Black Sea; in particular, locally heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected in the provinces of Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Izmir, Manisa, Aydın, Bursa, Kütahya, Muğla, Antalya and Konya, and there is a risk of avalanches in mountainous areas of the eastern Black Sea hinterland and northern and eastern Anatolia due to snow accumulation.
The worst of the storm, however, could be yet to come. Turkish media reported that AKOM has issued a weather warning for further snowfall in Istanbul. The forecast indicates that from Monday, 12 January, rain mixed with snow could be recorded in the higher areas of the city; in addition, from Thursday onwards, a further drop in temperature of 8 to 10 degrees is expected, accompanied by heavy thunderstorms and intermittent heavy rain, which will leave maximum temperatures of around 3ºC in Istanbul over the next few days.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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