Turkey - weather in January

January is the central month of winter in Turkey, and is the coldest of the year almost everywhere. The weather, however, varies greatly, given that it is mild on the coasts, especially the southern one (see Antalya, Mersin), while it is quite cold in eastern Thrace (see Edirne), cold on the Anatolian plateau (see Ankara), and very cold in the eastern part and at high altitudes (see Erzurum, Van).

On the plateau, the average temperature is around 0 °C (32 °F) in Ankara, at 900 metres (2,950 feet), and in Cappadocia (see Kayseri), just above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), while it drops below freezing at higher altitudes (see Erzurum, Van). On the coast, the coldest area is that of Istanbul, with an average of 6 °C (43 °F), while the eastern part of the Black Sea coast (see Trabzon) is a bit milder, with an average of 8 °C (46.5 °F). On the coast of the Aegean Sea (see Trabzon), the average is 8/9 °C (46/48 °F), while in the south, on the coast of the eastern Mediterranean (see Antalya, Mersin), the average reaches 10/11 °C (50/52 °F).
Sometimes there can be cold waves from Russia, during which the temperature can drop to -20 °C (-4 °F) on the plateau around 1,000 meters or 3,300 ft (see Ankara, Cappadocia), and even below -30 °C (-22 °F) in the eastern part and at high altitudes (see Erzurum). On the coasts the effects are more limited, however, it can snow on the Black Sea coast, especially in the western part (see Istanbul), and more rarely on the Aegean coast (see Izmir).

As for precipitation, it is generally quite weak on the plateau, where it occurs more easily in the form of snow. Instead, on the coasts the rains are quite frequent, and are moderate to relatively abundant, but locally they are also very abundant, above 200 millimeters or 8 inches (see Antalya, on the south coast, and Rize, in the easternmost part of the Black Sea coast) .

Turkey is located at medium latitudes, however, in January the days are quite short, especially in the north, where the sun remains above the horizon for about 9 and a half hours a day.




See also: Turkey, the weather in December - February
The climate of Turkey