Turkey - weather in July

July is the central month of summer in Turkey, and is generally 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 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 get 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 25.5 °C (78 °F) in the western part (see Istanbul) and 24 °C (75 °F) in the eastern part (see Trabzon). On the Aegean coast (see Izmir), the average is around 27.5 °C (81.5 °F), while on the southern coast (see Antalya, Mersin) it is 29 °C (84 °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 scorching heat.

As for the rainfall, summer in Turkey is the driest season, and July is on average the driest month of the year. 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 (see Edirne) and even more so at 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 part, on the border with Georgia (see Rize, where 150 or 6 inches fall in the month), where the climate is almost oceanic, the rainfall is frequent also in this season.

In July, the sea in Turkey is warm enough for swimming on the Aegean coast (see Izmir) and on the Black Sea coast (see Istanbul, Trabzon), while it is pleasantly warm on the southern one (see Antalya, Mersin).

Turkey is located at medium latitudes, however, in July the days are quite long, especially in the north, where the sun remains above the horizon for about 15 hours a day.




See also: Turkey, the weather in June - August
The climate of Turkey