Precipitation hit the city's both European and Asian sides hard, while pedestrians sought shelter in bus stops and under shop awnings.
Locals rushed to clear floodwaters from shops and ground-floor residences in Esenyurt, a working-class district on the far west of Istanbul, while motorists waded through knee-deep water to get off major roads in Bayrampaşa and Fatih, two districts in the city center.
Some locals exerted efforts to clear clogged drains before firefighters arrived to assist in lowering the floodwaters in Esenyurt's Güzelyurt neighborhood.
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