Turkey - weather in August

August is the last summer month in Turkey, and is in many areas the hottest of the year, although there are no big differences with July. Generally, August is a hot and sunny month, and in some areas, such as in the few lowland areas (see Edirne, Adana), in the inland valleys (see Denizli), on the southern coast (see see Antalya) and on the Kurdistan plateau (see Diyarbakir), it is a very hot month. Even on the Anatolian plateau (see Ankara, Cappadocia) it is hot during the day, but at night it can be more or less cool depending on the altitude.
Rainfall is rare or completely absent almost everywhere, except in the far north and in the high mountains, where thunderstorms can sometimes break out, and in the easternmost part of the Black Sea coast.

On the plateau, the average temperature is 23.5 °C (74.5 °F) in Ankara, at 900 metres (2,950 feet), 22.5 °C (72.5 °F) in Cappadocia (see Kayseri), just above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), while it is lower in the areas located at higher altitudes (see Erzurum, Van). On the Black Sea coast the average is 26 °C (79 °F) in the western part (see Istanbul), and 25 °C (77 °F) in the eastern part (see Trabzon). On the coast of the Aegean Sea (see Izmir) the average is around 27.5 °C (81.5 °F), while on the southern coast (see Antalya, Mersin) it is 29/29.5 °C (84/85 °F).
Sometimes, there may be heat waves, during which the temperature can reach 38/40 °C (100/104 °F) even on the plateau at around 1,000 meters or 3,300 feet (see Ankara, Cappadocia), while it can even reach 44/45 °C (111/113 °F) in the inland valleys of the west, such as that of the Meander or Büyük Menderes river (see Denizli, Pamukkale), on the coasts and plains of the south (see Antalya, Adana), and also in the south-east, in the Kurdistan plateau (see Diyarbakir). Instead, the north coast, especially in the eastern part (see Trabzon, Rize), where the sun doesn't shine very often, is more sheltered from heat waves.

As for the rainfall, summer in Turkey is the driest season, and August is on average the second driest month of the year after July. As mentioned, the rains are very rare or completely absent on the western (see Izmir) and southern (see Antalya, Mersin) coasts, where the climate is purely Mediterranean, while in the north, in the high mountains, sometimes thunderstorms can break out.
In the eastern part of the Black Sea coast (see Trabzon), and even more so in the easternmost one, on the border with Georgia (see Rize, where more than 150 mm or 6 inches fall in the month), where the climate is almost oceanic, the rains are also frequent in this season.

In August, the sea in Turkey is warm enough to swim in everywhere, and it warmer than in the other months. However, it is warmest on the southern coast (see Antalya, Mersin), followed by the eastern part of the Black Sea coast (see Trabzon).




See also: Turkey, the weather in July - September
The climate of Turkey