Istanbul Reels from Record Rainfall: Two Dead as Floods Paralyze Turkish Metropolis

Torrential rainfall has claimed two lives and plunged Istanbul into chaos, with the Turkish metropolis experiencing its most severe downpour in over 80 years. Governor Davut Gul has urged the city's 16 million inhabitants to remain indoors unless absolutely necessary, suspending school operations and banning motorbikes. Approximately 8,000 emergency service personnel have been deployed to manage the aftermath of continuous precipitation.

"Rainfall in Istanbul will continue for another two to three days. Do not go outside unless absolutely necessary," Governor Gul stated during a press conference on Thursday morning. He noted that this represents "the highest level of precipitation recorded in Istanbul since 1942", the year records began. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality reported that many districts received over 100kg of rain per square metre, equivalent to 100mm, starting early Wednesday. In the Beykoz area of northeastern Istanbul, rainfall reached an astonishing 242kg per square metre.

Tragically, a 14-year-old boy died from electrocution after stepping into a flooded area in the Fatih district, according to the Istanbul governorship. Despite being rushed to the hospital unconscious, he could not be saved. Another fatality involved a 34-year-old who died after a fall, hitting their head on the pavement. State media footage depicted vehicles being swept away by street floods, homes and mosques inundated, and passengers stranded on a bus with knee-deep murky water.

"Roads turned into lakes in many parts of the city," reported state broadcaster TRT. At Istanbul Airport, 51 flights were rerouted to other airports, and 19 were cancelled, Governor Gul confirmed. The intense rainfall commenced on Tuesday and persisted through Wednesday, overwhelming drainage systems and causing widespread flooding.

Disaster management services issued text alerts to Istanbul residents on Wednesday evening, cautioning them to avoid riverbanks and flooded roads. Those living in basement apartments were advised to take precautions. Power outages led to disruptions in water supply to homes and businesses across various parts of the city, even as the heavy rain continued.

The governorship detailed that emergency services received over 1,200 reports of flooding, 15 of landslides, 47 of individuals trapped, and two of roofs being dislodged. The city of Antalya, situated on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, also experienced severe flooding that rendered streets impassable.

The state meteorological service issued further warnings for heavy rain and strong winds across the nation on Thursday. A climate report released in September indicated that Turkey has experienced an unusually wet year in 2026, with rainfall from January to August being 54% higher than the 30-year average (1991-2020). Heavy rainfall and flooding accounted for one-third of the extreme weather events recorded in the first eight months of the year.