Multiple tornadoes reported in southeastern Türkiye during deadly severe weather outbreak
The European Severe Weather Database (ESWD) listed multiple tornado reports across southeastern Türkiye on May 3, 2026, during a severe storm episode that caused casualties, injuries, widespread damage, power disruption, and localized flooding. The Şanlıurfa Governorate confirmed 1 death and 40 injuries in Birecik and Viranşehir during the outbreak, while a later report quoted Governor Hasan Şıldak as saying the death toll had risen to 2.
Tornado in Çangallı in Kilis on May 3, 2026. Credit: Kilis Kent Haber
Based on ESWD entries, the reports formed a corridor from the Kilis–Gaziantep area into Şanlıurfa, Mardin, and Diyarbakır between 12:20 and 17:15 UTC. The reports were marked QC1 (confirmed by a reliable source) in ESWD and included International Fujita scale ratings from IF0.5 to IF2.5.
The densest cluster appeared in Şanlıurfa Province, with tornado reports near Aşağı Koçlu, Yukarı Yazıcı, Malta, Viranşehir, Ayaklı, Kalmazlar, and Kadıköy between 14:45 and 15:35 UTC. The highest rating was IF2.5 at Malta, while IF2 tornadoes were reported near Aşağı Koçlu, Yukarı Yazıcı, Viranşehir, Kalmazlar, and Kadıköy.
The most severe Viranşehir-area damage was reported near Kadıköy, where ESWD counted 8 injuries, collapsed power-transmission towers, leveled farm buildings, damaged roofs, partly collapsed walls, and disruption to power and telecommunications infrastructure.
Nearby entries for Viranşehir and Kalmazlar listed collapsed farm and enterprise structures, a badly damaged solar-panel park, leveled farmhouses, destroyed roofs, and partly collapsed walls.
İhlas News Agency (İHA) reported tornado damage in rural Viranşehir, including homes and barns left unusable in Atıcılar Mahallesi and severe damage to a solar-panel site elsewhere in the district.
The Governorate said the storm in Birecik downed numerous trees, damaged building roofs, and caused localized flooding. Authorities confirmed 1 death and 29 injuries in Birecik, with 7 injured people transferred to hospitals in the provincial center and 22 treated at Birecik State Hospital. Viranşehir was also affected by sudden heavy rain and storm conditions, with 11 people lightly injured, according to the Governorate.
The Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported that the fatality in Birecik occurred after a solar panel torn from a building’s roof fell onto a car at about 16:50 LT on May 3. The injured person, identified by DHA as a 22-year-old woman, was taken to Birecik State Hospital, where she later died despite medical intervention.
Anadolu Ajansı later quoted Şanlıurfa Governor Hasan Şıldak as saying the death toll had risen to 2, with 5 injured people still hospitalized and one Viranşehir patient in critical condition.
Damage reported in Birecik included an overturned truck on Birecik Bridge, broken mooring lines at floating restaurants, a collapsed mosque minaret, trees falling onto vehicles, damage to a hospital, damaged homes, workplaces, and vehicles, and roads blocked by fallen trees.
Şıldak said nearly 100 schools were damaged and that education in the two districts was suspended for 4 days while school buildings and yards were repaired.
Farther west, the Çangallı report in Kilis was rated IF2 at 12:20 UTC and included damage to trees, crops, roofs, and power lines, along with a collapsed transmission tower.
Gaziantep Province had IF2 and IF1.5 tornado reports near Kayacık Mahallesi and Oğuzeli, where a man was injured in his car after it was hit by a metal road-sign frame.
Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality General Secretary Sezer Cihan said the city received nearly 60 mm (2.4 inches) of rain in about 20 minutes, blocking some roads and causing localized flooding.
East of Şanlıurfa, the Subaşı tornado in Mardin Province was rated IF2 at 16:15 UTC, with a container used by construction workers overturned, 4 workers injured, and power poles collapsed. Farther northeast, the Karacadağ report in Diyarbakır Province was rated IF1 at 17:15 UTC and included roof or chimney damage and trees uprooted or snapped.
The Turkish State Meteorological Service issued a yellow-coded meteorological warning on May 3 for several provinces, including Gaziantep, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, and Adıyaman. The warning covered strong local showers and thunderstorms, with possible flash flooding, lightning, local hail, transport disruption, muddy rain, strong winds during rainfall, roof damage, and falling trees.
References:
1 Tornado reports for southeastern Türkiye – ESWD – Accessed May 6, 2026
2 Mardin’de hortum, sağanak ve dolu günlük yaşamı etkiledi; 4 yaralı – DHA – May 3, 2026
3 Gaziantep ve Şanlıurfa’da “süper hücre” fırtınası… Bir ölü, 40 yaralı! – Hurriyet – May 4, 2026
4 Şanlıurfa’nın o ilçesi karanlığa gömüldü: Hasar büyük – Sanliurfa Gazetesi – May 4, 2026
5 Hortum sonrası yaşanan felaket gün yüzüne çıktı… İptal edilen düğün olası faciayı önledi! – Haberturk – May 6, 2026
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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