🇹🇷Turkey

Turkey (783,562 km²) spans 36°–42°N, 26°–45°E across the Anatolian Peninsula, Turkish Thrace, and the Armenian Highland, forming a transcontinental bridge between Europe and Asia with extraordinary climate diversity governed by latitude, proximity to three surrounding seas (Mediterranean, Aegean, Black Sea), and dramatic topography rising from sea level to 5,165 m at Mount Ararat.

The Mediterranean coast (Köppen Csa) exhibits classic hot-summer Mediterranean climate with scorching, rainless summers (July averages 28–35°C), mild, wet winters (January 7–10°C), and annual precipitation of 600–1,200 mm concentrated November–March, supporting olive groves, citrus orchards, and coastal pine forests across Antalya, Mersin, and Muğla provinces.

The Black Sea coastlands feature humid temperate to subtropical conditions (Köppen Cfa/Cfb) with year-round rainfall totaling 900–2,500 mm, mild winters (January 4–8°C), warm summers (July 20–25°C), and lush Colchian deciduous forests of hornbeam, chestnut, and rhododendron thriving in the eastern Rize-Trabzon corridor.

The Anatolian interior plateau exhibits continental semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk/Dsa) with extreme temperature ranges: Ankara averages −2°C in January and 24°C in July, precipitation drops to 300–500 mm annually with severe summer aridity, and the central steppe supports dryland wheat cultivation on chernozem soils across the Konya Basin and Central Anatolia.

The mountainous east—including the Pontic, Taurus, and Anti-Taurus ranges—creates complex orographic patterns: the northeastern highlands around Erzurum, Kars, and Ardahan experience harsh continental to subarctic climates (Köppen Dfb/Dfc) with January means below −10°C, persistent snow cover 4–5 months, brief cool summers (July 15–20°C), and precipitation of 400–700 mm supporting alpine meadows and coniferous forests.

Istanbul (41.0°N, 39 m elevation) exemplifies the transitional Marmara climate, averaging 24°C in July and 6°C in January with 865 mm annual precipitation. The May 2017 hailstorm produced golf-ball-sized hail, causing vehicle damage, flooding, and disruptions across Bakırköy and Beyoğlu districts.

The Summer 2021 wildfires, driven by heatwaves exceeding 45°C and drought, burned over 200,000 hectares across Mediterranean provinces, destroying infrastructure and homes. The July 2023 heatwave saw Eskişehir's Cifteler reach 49.5°C, exceeding the 1993 record and straining cooling systems. The August 2021 Black Sea floods struck Kastamonu, Sinop, and Bartın when torrential rains (350+ mm/24 hrs) triggered flash flooding and mudslides through steep valleys, destroying bridges, roads, and displacing thousands.

Our archive covers 4 Turkish cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The warmest July averages occur in İzmir, around 33°C, while Ankara records the coldest January nights near −4.7°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.8°C.5°C national record, the 2007 drought emptying Atatürk Dam, the May 2017 İstanbul hailstorm, accelerating East Anatolian glacier loss, and the 2021 Sea of Marmara mucilage event.