Turkey’s most populated city, Istanbul suffered extreme flash flooding on Tuesday, July 18, 2017, after rainstorm dumped 4 months worth of rain in just 12 hours. It was the most severe rainfall the city has seen in the past 32 years, but only the first of several waves of rainstorms expected. Meteorologists say the rains will last until Wednesday evening. Light showers reached Istanbul late Monday, July 17, and turned into extremely heavy rains at 08:30 local time (05:30 UTC), Tuesday when huge black clouds covered the city, effectively ending the summer heat. According to Doğan News Agency,

the city was hit by most severe rainfall in the past 32 years, with 128 mm (5 inches) of rain before the first storm was over. This is more than four times the average for the month of July (32.5 mm / 1.3 inches), its driest month, and more than the region usually records during entire December, its wettest month. According to a statement issued by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, 65 mm (2.5 inches) of rain fell on the city center within 1 hour, accompanied by winds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph).  READ MORE


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