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Istanbul weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Straddling two continents on the Bosphorus, Istanbul lives between seas and climates: warm, humid summers and cool, changeable winters, occasionally hushed by the heavy sea-effect snow that blows in off the Black Sea. Istanbul weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+3.9°Chigh well above average

24° / 18°Today
20° / 16°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+1.8°Caverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–492frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 8 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 8 in the 1940s10days above 30°C a year now (2016–2025) · 3 in the 1940sdays above 30°C · 3 in the 1940s+1.8°C vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 99 mmhigh 8°low 5°February, rain 80 mmhigh 8°low 5°March, rain 74 mmhigh 10°low 6°April, rain 52 mmhigh 14°low 9°May, rain 37 mmhigh 19°low 14°June, rain 34 mmhigh 24°low 19°July, rain 26 mmhigh 27°low 21°August, rain 25 mmhigh 27°low 22°September, rain 45 mmhigh 24°low 19°October, rain 70 mmhigh 19°low 15°November, rain 85 mmhigh 14°low 11°December, rain 110 mmhigh 10°low 7°wettest month December, 110 mm · 737 mm a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Partly cloudy

Right now

22.9°

23°feels like
60%humidity
15°dew point
8 km/hfrom SW
UV index3.1
sunrise07:12sunset18:29day length11h 17m
TodayMostly clear24°18°
TueOvercast19°17°
WedLight rain17°16°
ThuLight rain16°15°
FriOvercast17°13°
SatShowers16°14°
SunLight rain15°12°

On this date: October 12

Today (forecast)
24° / 18°
Average for October 12
20° / 16°

High well above average · +3.9°C

  • Record high: 24.7° · 1992
  • Record low: 9.2° · 1948
  • One year ago: 17° / 12°

Every October 12 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 12 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Istanbul is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 41.01°N, 28.95°E, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
41.01°N, 28.95°E
Time zone
Europe/Istanbul
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

10 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: −0.3°C.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Istanbul has a transitional climate that sits between Mediterranean (Köppen Csa), humid subtropical and oceanic types, the product of its remarkable setting astride the Bosphorus between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. These surrounding waters give it a moderate but locally complicated maritime climate, with warm, humid summers and cool, wet winters. High humidity can make the height of summer feel uncomfortable.

Winter is when Istanbul's geography shows its drama: cold air spilling from the north across the Black Sea generates sea-effect snowstorms, which can drop heavy snow on the city almost every year, most recently during the 2022 storm. Between such events the weather is changeable, swinging between mild maritime spells and sharp incursions of cold northern air.

The year peaks in August, at around 26.8°C by mid-afternoon, with nights around 21.6°C. Around 90 nights a year stay above 20°C. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 8.2°C and overnight lows sit around 4.9°C.

In total, Istanbul averages about 737 mm of precipitation a year; December is usually the wettest month (110 mm) and August the driest (25 mm).

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Istanbul now averages 1.8°C warmer than it did in the 1940s. No period since 1940 has been warmer than the most recent decade.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.commgm.gov.tr

Climate graph (climograph)

August is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 18°C. Wettest month: December (~110 mm). Whole year averages ~737 mm of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 85 rainy days a year: most in January (~12), fewest in July (~3).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 2 mm per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Istanbul month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January8.2°4.9°99 mm129.4 h18.9° (2010)−6.9° (1942)
February8.4°4.9°80 mm1010.4 h18.4° (2015)−4.6° (1985)
March10.2°6.1°74 mm911.7 h21.8° (1993)−3.6° (1987)
April14.4°9.5°52 mm713.1 h25.2° (1970)2.3° (1943)
May19.3°14.0°37 mm514.3 h29.6° (2013)6.8° (1995)
June24.2°18.7°34 mm414.9 h32.9° (1942)11.6° (1990)
July26.7°21.2°26 mm314.7 h34.7° (2025)15.8° (1985)
August26.8°21.6°25 mm313.6 h34.3° (1945)15.6° (1965)
September23.5°18.7°45 mm512.3 h32.3° (2017)9.2° (1970)
October18.9°14.9°70 mm710.9 h29.9° (1984)4.8° (1972)
November14.5°11.0°85 mm99.7 h26.1° (2023)0.3° (1941)
December10.4°7.3°110 mm129.1 h20.4° (2010)−5.8° (1941)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +1.8°C.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.18°C per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Jun–Aug is warming fastest: +0.20°C per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 30°C per year: 3.2 early in the record → 10.3 recently. Frost days: 8 → 2.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 2025, all-time low in 1942: 34.7°C / −6.9°C.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~737 mm/year on average. Last decade: −2% vs that average. Long-term trend: +1 mm per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Istanbul

Which is the warmest month in Istanbul?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Istanbul is August (mean daily temperature of about 24.1°C) and the coolest is January (about 6.6°C).
How does today's temperature in Istanbul compare to the historical average?
On October 12, 2026, Istanbul is forecast to reach a high of 23.6°C and a low of 18.3°C. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 19.7°C and a low of 15.7°C, so today's high is 3.9°C warmer than that average.
How much has Istanbul warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Istanbul is about 1.8°C warmer.
How much does it rain in Istanbul?
Istanbul receives about 737 mm of precipitation per year on long-term average, with December typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Istanbul?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Istanbul is about 14.9°C. The warmest month is August and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Istanbul by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Istanbul (°C, full record since 1940): January 8°/5°, February 8°/5°, March 10°/6°, April 14°/9°, May 19°/14°, June 24°/19°, July 27°/21°, August 27°/22°, September 24°/19°, October 19°/15°, November 14°/11°, December 10°/7°.
What is the weather like in Istanbul in summer?
In summer, June through August, Istanbul is pleasantly warm. Daytime highs sit at 24–27°C and nights at 19–22°C; August is the warmest month. Rain falls on about 3 days a month, adding up to around 28 mm. It is the driest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Istanbul in winter?
In winter, December through February, Istanbul is on the cool side. Afternoons run 8–10°C and nights 5–7°C; February is the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 96 mm a month, spread over roughly 11 days. No season is wetter.
What is the weather like in Istanbul in spring?
Spring in Istanbul (March to May) is cool. March is still 10°C in the afternoon and 6°C at night, May already 19°C and 14°C. Rain falls off from 74 mm on 9 days in March to 37 mm on 5 days in May.
What is the weather like in Istanbul in autumn?
Autumn in Istanbul (September to November) is mild. September still brings 24°C afternoons and 19°C nights, November only 14°C and 11°C. Rain picks up through the season: 5 rainy days and 45 mm in September, 9 days and 85 mm in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Istanbul?
On long-term average, Istanbul has about 85 days a year with at least 2 mm of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 737 mm.

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