The Changing Weather of Istanbul
Last Sunday (6 September 2009) apparently was the last good weekend for a while.
It was a wonderful day which was spent sunbathing and snorkeling at a nearby beach.
The rain came in on Monday and the temperature dropped. It rained on Tuesday very hard and continued somewhat on Wednesday. Some of the surrounding cities in Trakya experienced flooding that washed away cars and inflicted other property damage. There were also some deaths. My question is: Could this catastrophe been avoided with proper floodplain management? This is a question that have to be answered by the appropriate authorities. It should also a question that many citizens of this area are asking of the authorities.
In Istanbul, there are often abrupt changes in the weather. However, it is not true Mediterranean climate as it is also influenced by weather coming from Europe through Bulgaria and Greece and sometimes from Anatola. Summers have almost no rain and relatively hot. In the fall, usually around October, the rains begin. In the winter, there are usually one or two significant snowfalls. (However, the last two years there was almost no snow.) Is this global warming or just cyclical? These questions that should be addressed by climatologists.
I Will Return
I am very sorry to leave a city that I have grown to love and cherish. It has been my home for five years. I have struggled with the language, adapted to the culture and become attached to Istanbul. Places that were once strange to me are very familiar. However, does anyone truly know Istanbul? It is such a diverse place filled with historical places and numerous peoples from various ethnic groups and backgrounds. Istanbul is a dynamic city changing as I write this section. When I return, hopefully soon, I will see new things that will give me further thought. I will continue to write other parts, as time allows.
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