Anatolia

Works are still ongoing in several Black Sea provinces after heavy downpours caused rapid flooding, while some of the highways closed to traffic have been reopened, with an expert warning that extreme weather conditions will continue to prevail as climate change is accelerating.

The director of the excavations at the Kültepe Kaniş-Karum Mound in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri has estimated that it would take 5,000 years to unearth all the historical artifacts under the ground.

After the Turkish State Meteorological Services has warned several provinces with a "yellow code" for adverse weather conditions once again, many properties including a hospital in the western province of Manisa have been damaged due to the flood caused by strong downpours.

Some 25,000 historical artifacts that have been unearthed from Kültepe Kaniş-Karum Mound in the central Anatolian province of Kayseri will be exhibited in a carved museum, which is under construction.

The endangered Anatolian leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana), which was last captured in a photo in August 2019 for the first time in the country since 1974, has been spotted once again on Türkiye's lands, the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks has announced.

As torrential rains continue to make daily life difficult in many parts of the country, especially in the capital Ankara, the Turkish State Meteorological Service has issued a yellow alert for 13 provinces regarding potential unfavorable situations due to the adverse weather.

With cold weather spell continuing to grip the western parts of Türkiye, the Turkish State Meteorological Service has issued a "yellow alert" for 12 provinces that are likely to witness storms and thundershowers.

The Anatolian leopard, which was last seen in Türkiye in 1975, was spotted on Aug. 8, 2019, since then for the first time when it was thought to be extinct.

The DNA data obtained in the laboratory from the urine sample of the leopard that it left in front of the camera was registered to the World Gene Bank as the "Anatolian Leopard" in 2020.

Due to the heavy rainfall that started in the morning hours of May 17 and accidents that have occurred at some points of the city, traffic was jammed once again in Istanbul.

Citizens leaving their homes to go to work and school were stuck in heavy traffic. The traffic congestion occurred in both directions on Kadıköy D-100 Highway.

Türkiye will remain in the grip of a bad weather spell as temperatures are expected to decrease on the weekend and go below seasonal norms throughout the country, according to the latest weather report.