October weather in June: Sudden heavy downpour triggers paralyzing floods in Istanbul, Turkey

A sudden flood-inducing rainfall paralyzed daily life in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Roads turned into lakes as floodwaters engulfed underpasses, submerging many vehicles and stranding motorists. The severe weather is expected to continue until Monday, June 21. 

• "Turkey is experiencing extraordinary meteorological events," said meteorologist Orhan Şen. "We saw a strong winter in March, and we see weather like October in June."

The General Directorate of Meteorology issued a warning moments before heavy downpours hit the city, leaving residents with little time to prepare. 

The city's European side was hit particularly hard, with the worst affected areas Esenyurt, Fatih, Kagithane, and Beykoz where underpasses were submerged and motorists stranded.

Photos and videos of the event show many cars floating in the flood and people walking through knee-deep waters.

A car was submerged in the underpass in Bayrampaşa, trapping two people who were lucky enough to escape death.

CNN TÜRK Meteorology Coordinator Prof. Dr. Orhan Şen warned that the risks of severe weather will continue until Monday, June 21.

"Turkey is experiencing extraordinary meteorological events. We saw a strong winter in March, and we see weather like October in June."

"We will see local showers [and] a cold wave from the Balkans on Sunday (June 20). These risks will continue until Monday."

"The summer weather is coming again next week, but what we are experiencing is of course not normal... We need to be on the alert."

Featured image credit: Savas Ugurlu