Three separate pileups along the E-5 highway, the city's most frequently used motorway, brought traffic to a crawl. İstanbul's Boğaziçi and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges experienced heavy traffic due to the wet road conditions.Heavy rain also hit northwestern Zonguldak province, where many streets were flooded, leaving some vehicles stranded. Ten houses were reportedly inundated by rainwater. In Akçakoca, Düzce province, the rain caused the Edilli, Hemşin and Yenice rivers to overflow and submerge fields. Approximately 4,000 chickens died when a farm was flooded in the village of Uğurlu.
The Central Anatolian province of Konya was also seriously affected by heavy rain and hail. Officials said torrential rain affected an area of 150 square kilometers. Karapınar Chamber of Agriculture President Hikmet Bozaklı said farmers were disappointed that the rain also brought hail with it because it damages their fields.
In the eastern province of Sivas, two boys were slightly injured when the roof of an indoor soccer field collapsed due to strong wind and rain. A number of workplaces and houses were also reportedly flooded. The Sivas municipality's fire department helped residents remove water from flooded workplaces and homes.
Meteorology officials say the rain will persist throughout the country for a couple of days and issued flood, strong wind and lightning advisories. Temperatures are expected to drop by four to six degrees in most of the country. The rain is expected to be heavier in the western parts of the Black Sea region, the eastern Black Sea coast and the eastern parts of Central Anatolia.
