Best time to visit Turkey

Turkey in this dataset covers 10 cities with distinct NASA POWER grid cells (plus nearby cities that share a cell). Annual rainfall among those cities runs from 375 mm in Kayseri to 827 mm in Antalya. The monthly-average temperature swing is 19.2–29.1°C depending on the city.

Turkey is not one climate: the cities here include a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters; a continental climate with a wide temperature swing.

Regional contrasts in Turkey

The hottest peak in the sample is Adana in August (31.2°C). The coldest monthly average is Kayseri in January (-2.3°C). Antalya takes the most rain (827 mm a year, wettest in January); Kayseri takes the least (375 mm).

Warmest-month averages in the set range from 21.2°C to 31.2°C. Use the city pages for the month-by-month table; this page is the contrast between places.

Best months by region

Drier cities: typical hottest-month average 24.1°C and about 413 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Kayseri (July, August, and September); Konya (July, August, and September); Ankara (July, August, and September); Gaziantep (May, June, and September).

In-between rainfall: typical hottest-month average 28.0°C and about 601 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Diyarbakır (June, August, and September); Istanbul (June, July, and August); Adana (May, June, and October); Bursa (June, July, and August).

Wetter cities: typical hottest-month average 28.5°C and about 737 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — İzmir (June, July, and September); Antalya (June, July, and September).

Adana in Turkey

Adana sits at 36.99°, 35.33°. It is a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters. August is the warmest month at 31.2°C (high 37.6°C); January is the coolest at 8.4°C (low 3.5°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 22.8°C.

The wet season runs from December to February. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are May, June, and October. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,816,750. The wettest month is December (113 mm, 10 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (7 mm).

Ankara in Turkey

Ankara sits at 39.92°, 32.85°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 22.6°C (high 30.6°C); January is the coolest at -1.4°C (low -5.6°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 24.0°C.

Rainfall totals 419 mm, heaviest in May (51 mm) and lightest in July (13 mm). The three highest-scoring months for a visit are July, August, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 3,517,182. The wettest month is May (51 mm, 10 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (13 mm).

Antalya in Turkey

Antalya sits at 36.91°, 30.70°. It is a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters. August is the warmest month at 29.3°C (high 36.0°C); January is the coolest at 7.6°C (low 3.5°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 21.7°C.

The wet season runs from November to February. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,335,002. The wettest month is January (182 mm, 13 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is August (5 mm).

Bursa in Turkey

Bursa sits at 40.20°, 29.06°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 24.4°C (high 31.1°C); January is the coolest at 3.5°C (low -0.5°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 20.9°C.

The wet season runs from December to January. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and August. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 3,101,833. The wettest month is December (90 mm, 12 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is August (13 mm).

Diyarbakır in Turkey

Diyarbakır sits at 37.91°, 40.22°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 30.7°C (high 39.0°C); January is the coolest at 1.6°C (low -3.2°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 29.1°C.

The wet season runs from December to April. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, August, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,833,684. The wettest month is December (74 mm, 10 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is August (1 mm).

Gaziantep in Turkey

Gaziantep sits at 37.06°, 37.38°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. July is the warmest month at 29.2°C (high 37.9°C); January is the coolest at 3.1°C (low -1.4°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 26.1°C.

The wet season runs from November to March. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are May, June, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 2,222,415. The wettest month is December (80 mm, 9 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (2 mm).

Istanbul in Turkey

Istanbul sits at 41.01°, 28.95°. It is a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters. August is the warmest month at 25.7°C (high 29.3°C); January is the coolest at 6.0°C (low 3.6°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 19.7°C.

The wet season runs from December to January. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and August. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 15,701,602. The wettest month is December (82 mm, 12 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (20 mm).

İzmir in Turkey

İzmir sits at 38.41°, 27.14°. It is a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters. August is the warmest month at 27.7°C (high 33.8°C); January is the coolest at 8.5°C (low 5.0°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 19.2°C.

The wet season runs from November to February. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are June, July, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 2,938,292. The wettest month is January (130 mm, 11 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (3 mm).

Kayseri in Turkey

Kayseri sits at 38.73°, 35.49°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 21.2°C (high 29.5°C); January is the coolest at -2.3°C (low -6.6°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 23.5°C.

Rainfall totals 375 mm, heaviest in May (47 mm) and lightest in August (6 mm). The three highest-scoring months for a visit are July, August, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,452,458. The wettest month is May (47 mm, 11 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is August (6 mm).

Konya in Turkey

Konya sits at 37.87°, 32.48°. It is a continental climate with a wide temperature swing. August is the warmest month at 23.4°C (high 31.1°C); January is the coolest at 0.1°C (low -4.1°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 23.3°C.

The wet season runs from December to January. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are July, August, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,433,861. The wettest month is December (61 mm, 10 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is August (4 mm).