Strong winds, rain hit Turkish Riviera
A tree leans over a vehicle amid strong winds in Antalya, southern Turkey, Dec. 7, 2021. (DHA PHOTO)


Harsh winds and excessive rainfall disrupted daily life in Antalya and Muğla, two provinces on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Winds knocked down trees and blew away roofs in Antalya where giant waves battered the shores in Muğla.

A car drives through a semi-flooded street in Antalya, southern Turkey, Dec. 7, 2021. (AA PHOTO)

Bad weather set in during the early hours of Tuesday and worsened as the day progressed. Heavy precipitation caused minor floods on streets in Antalya where traffic was slowed down. Districts near the sea suffered the most. Authorities said winds uprooted trees in the Konyaaltı, Muratpaşa, Döşemealtı and Kumluca districts, while parked cars were damaged when trees and billboards fell upon them. Some buildings were inundated with floodwater. Bad weather also disrupted flights, with at least one flight bound for Istanbul postponed and three flights from Istanbul to Antalya diverted to airports in Muğla and Konya.

Roaring waves batter the buildings on the coast in Bodrum district, in Muğla, southwestern Turkey, Dec. 7, 2021. (AA PHOTO)

In Muğla, winds and rainfall bore down particularly on the Bodrum and Marmaris districts. In Bodrum, winds dragged a huge sailboat to the shore, forcing it aground. Businesses located near the coast were washed away by towering waves in Bodrum, while some streets were flooded in Marmaris. Off the coast, waters turned brown when the ashen remains of forests burned during this summer's wildfires were carried to the sea mixed with mud by strong winds in Marmaris.

As winter sets in, Turkey has started to experience more extreme weather, aggravated by the climate crisis. Last month, at least six people were killed when unprecedented storms hit Istanbul and other provinces in the country's northwest.