Severe flooding strikes Istanbul amid heavy rainfall

Istanbul has been hit by severe flooding following heavy rainfall that began on the evening of Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The extreme weather has turned streets into rivers across both the European and Asian sides of the city, causing significant disruption to traffic, flooding homes, shops, and metro stations, and leading to structural damage such as collapsed walls at schools. In the Esenyurt district, a woman was swept away by flash flood waters before being rescued by passersby. In a separate incident in Kucukcekmece, emergency services rescued a person trapped in a flooded basement apartment.

Authorities have issued orange warnings for various regions, as meteorologists expect the adverse weather conditions to persist through Saturday, October 17. The forecast also indicates an impending drop in temperature by up to 6 degrees Celsius. Ongoing efforts are focused on managing the flooding in critical infrastructure and providing assistance to affected residents.