Starting from Wednesday, Türkiye is set to experience the influence of "eyyam-ı-bahur," also known as the desert heat, inferno heat or African heat, which refers to the hottest days of summer.
Eyyam-ı-bahur (an Ottoman Turkish word given to the first week of August for the "very hot days") brings the temperatures almost to a boiling point, with experts warning the public not to go out often during the day.
Professor Şermin Tağıl, a geography expert from Bakırçay University in the western province of Izmir, on Tuesday, warned that the arrival of the hottest and most suffocating days of the summer season would also increase the risk of forest fires.
Under normal conditions, this period, commonly known as dog days, represents the hottest and most unbearable summer days climatologically, Tağıl explained.
"However, this summer, due to the influence of the high pressure developed in the Mediterranean, heat waves have been more frequent, longer-lasting and more intense throughout July, making it hot and oppressive," she said.
Noting that the coastal regions of the country will be more affected, Tağıl said humidity levels will rise and perceived temperatures will increase.
The professor also explained that due to the excessive warming of the Northern Hemisphere in recent years, changes in jet streams have been observed.
"Unfortunately, due to the excessive warming of the North Pole on the one hand and changes in ocean temperatures along with ocean-atmosphere oscillations on the other hand, the jet stream, which transports hot air northward and cold air southward, has weakened and become relatively more southward and wavy," she noted
This has increased the risk of prolonged heat waves and drought in some regions and intense weather events related to heavy rainfall in other regions.
She also predicted that due to southerly hot air, the prolonged effect of heat waves and oppressive weather patterns are set to last until Aug. 7-8.
"But from Aug. 9-10, we expect a cooling effect from the north, especially affecting northwestern Anatolia and the Black Sea Region, which will lead to a decrease in temperatures by 3-5 degrees Celsius (37.4-41 degrees Fahrenheit)."
During this period, Tağıl emphasized that hot weather, together with humidity, will affect vulnerable groups more, and therefore, pregnant women and those with chronic illnesses should avoid going outside between 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Stating that the weather in question will also affect other living things, Tağıl said: "The vegetation in our country has dried up too much with the effect of the hot air current in the past few days, which has increased the flammability even more. Nowadays, we are also under the influence of the wind system in the northern sector. When the wind and heat come together, it causes fires that are difficult to prevent. It is necessary to take measures for this."
Professor Murat Türkeş of Boğaziçi University’s Center for Climate Change and Policy Studies also stated that Türkiye is affected by consecutive very hot and sometimes extremely hot weather conditions during the "eyyam-ı-bahur," brought by very hot tropical air masses from Arabia, Iran and the Middle East.
Türkeş explained that during this period, due to the high temperatures, evaporation will be high. As a result, the humidity will rise in coastal areas near the sea or large lakes, which can affect people and many other living beings.
"In a way, it is a local designation, and in a way, it carries the characteristics of a folk calendar related to weather and climate events. During the ‘eyyam-ı-bahur,' generally, there is a high probability of experiencing high and extremely high temperatures," he said.