Climate desciption
The climate of Turkey is stamped by extremes. Here all seasons are intensely to be found out and to feel. In Central Europe the winter look like the autumn. Also the summer can remain a spring with a lot of rains. There is a miraculous summer in Turkey definitively. At the latest June all clouds buckle and till September the weather is sunny. Rainfall and thunderstorms are rare.
Basically the climate of Turkey is marked very continental. Indeed, Turkey lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, but there only falls sufficient precipitation during the winter months.
In winter the highland of Anatolia which lies on average 1000-1400 m high is the extended arm of the Asian high-level surface. Often depression moves over the Balkans away and bring at first rain in height position (to 1400 metres). Later cold air from the heart of Russia is led over the Black Sea. The result is snow in Istanbul and even in the mild Izmir snow can fall all 20-30 years.
Only the extreme south and southwest coast is protected by this wintry climate. To the south of Izmir, in Bodrum, Marmaris, Fetiye and Antalya never falls snow. Also in the fertile Cukurova-Level with Adana snow is no subject. Also frost is extremely rare here, so between Bodrum and Adana are almost semitropical conditions, similar to Florida.
On the plateaus of Anatolia most precipitation (snow) falls between December and March. In Konya, Ankara or Malatya lies often more than 30 cm of snow about several weeks. The snow in the European part in Istanbul and Edirne is found after few days again if the icy north wind decreases. On the Black Sea coast it is rainy and mostly mild in winter . Only ice winds from Russia can also lead to some snow in Zonguldak, Trabzon or Rize. The climate on the Black Sea coast in winter resembles a little the Irish or Dutch with often rain and well-balanced temperatures. Frost less than-10 degrees is very rare here.
In the eastern of Anatolia, between Erzincan, Erzrurum and Kars the winter is hard and dry. In valleys the temperature sinks on -30 to -40 degrees in clear nights. Because the air is moved here only a little, at night it gets extremely cold. Snow falls, if depression moves over Turkey. Because the heights reach here in 2000-3000 m, the wintertime reaches from November to April. Even in May it does not thaw on the heights all around Erzurum. Ararat with more than 5000 m has the whole year an ice and snowy cap.
In summer the relations turn round. The highland of Anatolia strongly heats up and in summer 40 degrees are measured in spite of 1000-2000 m of height. Especially if the warm southerly wind blows above the Mediterranean Sea, it becomes unpleasantly hot in Turkey. If the last low-pressure areas reach the Mediterranean area in May, the subtropics high settles over the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea and it becomes summery for 10-12 weeks. On the south coasts between Marmaris and Antakya it is unbearably muggy. 35-40 degrees are measured every day. At night the values do not sink less than 23 degrees. On the highland it is more tolerable, because it becomes colder at night. The air is not so humid as on the south coast.
In Istanbul it is a little chiller, but often 35 degrees are reached. Also in the Black Sea it is not so hot. Seldom 35 degrees are measured. Mostly the mercury rises on 30 degrees. Also here it is dry the whole summer. If depression moves over the Black Sea, they bring single showers and few rains in the slopes of the Pontic mountains. On the heights 20-25 degrees are measured. Even at 2500 metres height, on the Nemrut-Dag, it feels hotly during the day and coldly at night.
The transitional seasons are different from year to year. Mostly the autumn is nice and mild till October. The sun appears at 20-25 degrees and especially on the south coasts the sea is still warm enough to swim. In the spring it is still changeable till April, so also in Istanbul chill temperatures and rainy days are to be expected.