lightning
Huge thunderclouds caused an electric storm in Turkey's Marmara region, particularly hitting Istanbul with thousands of lightning bolts in the early hours of July 24.

In total 43,388 flashes were observed in 24 hours as of 9 a.m. on July 24 especially in the northwestern provinces of Istanbul, Kocaeli, Edirne and Tekirdağ, according to the Turkish State Meteorological Service.

"There are various types of storms in the air. An electric storm is a phenomenon just like a dust storm, a snow storm or a rain storm ... If the important factor is the wind, we call it a wind storm whereas if the important factors are thunders and thunderbolts we call it a thunderstorm," Miktad Kadıoğlu, a faculty member of the Istanbul Technical University, told Demirören News Agency on July 24.



The rainfall peaked at around 4 a.m. in Istanbul, causing puddles all over the city roads. In the western districts of Çatalca and Silivri hailstorms hacked down trees.

At least three planes preparing for landing on Istanbul Atatürk Airport were diverted to Tekirdağ and Ankara Esenboğa airports.

A driver was killed in a traffic accident near the Atatürk Airport. The driver's car ran into a road sign, Demirören News Agency reported.

In Istanbul's Beşiktaş district, a taxicab went off the slippery road running into the bedroom of a flat. Luckily the bedroom was empty, but the wounded taxi driver and a customer were hospitalized.

LIGHTNING
LIGHTNING