Heavy rain and strong winds sweep Istanbul and Marmara this weekend
A cool, moist air mass moving from the Balkans is expected to bring widespread heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong gusts of 40‑60 km/h across Turkey. Meteorology General Directorate (MGM) and Istanbul’s Disaster Coordination Centre (AKOM) have issued alerts for the north, west and interior regions, with the most intense effects forecast for Istanbul, the Marmara region and the Black Sea coast. Rain is expected to begin Friday, become locally severe on Saturday with thunderstorms and possible roof and tree damage, and then diminish by Monday. Temperatures will drop sharply, with Istanbul forecast to fall to 20‑24 °C and Ankara to around 20 °C, a decline of up to 10 °C from the preceding days. Authorities have imposed temporary bans on sea‑entry in several Istanbul districts and warned about transportation disruptions, flooding and wind‑related hazards.