Türkiye records lowest June rainfall in 23 years
A woman walks in heavy rainfalls in Erzurum, Türkiye, June 7, 2024. (DHA Photo)


Türkiye experienced the lowest June rainfall in the past 23 years, with an 80% decrease compared to last June and a 65% decrease compared to the long-term average.

According to the monthly rainfall assessment data from the Turkish State Meteorological Service, June 2024 rainfall across Türkiye decreased by 65% compared to the average.

The June average (1991-2020) in Türkiye is 33.6 millimeters per square meter, while June 2023 rainfall was 58.1 millimeters, and June 2024 rainfall was recorded at 11.9 millimeters.

Rainfall decreased by 65% compared to the average and by 80% compared to June of the previous year, marking the lowest June rainfall in 23 years across Türkiye.

June rainfall showed reductions of up to 60% compared to the average in western and central Black Sea regions, the entire Marmara region except Kırklareli, the coastal Aegean, the east of Antalya, Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa, Elazığ, Diyarbakır and Bingöl.

Coastal areas of Giresun, Trabzon, Rize and Artvin saw increases of over 20%.

All regions received below-average rainfall. The region with the most significant reduction was the Marmara Region with a 92% decrease.

The Aegean and Mediterranean regions saw the lowest rainfall in 23 years, the Marmara and Black Sea regions in 21 years, and the central Anatolia region in 12 years.

Most in Rize, least in Izmir

In terms of provincial rainfall, Rize had the highest with 97 millimeters per square meter, while Izmir had the lowest with 0.4 millimeters. Compared to the average, Hakkari saw the highest increase with 26%, while Çanakkale experienced the largest decrease with 98%.

The lowest rainfall in 64 years occurred in Bilecik, Bursa, Çanakkale, Edirne, İzmir, Kocaeli and Yalova; in 44 years in Adana, Ardahan and Osmaniye; in 23 years in Adıyaman, Aydın and Kütahya; in 22 years in Manisa; and in 21 years in Amasya, Balıkesir, Bartın, Bolu, Çankırı, Çorum, Düzce, Eskişehir, Istanbul, Karabük and Kastamonu.

The long-term average (1991-2020) for the number of rainy days in June across Türkiye is 6.5 days, but the average number of rainy days in June 2024 was 3.4.

The number of rainy days dropped below three in the central and coastal parts of the Aegean region, the west of Antalya, the south of Adana, and around Gaziantep, Kilis and Kahramanmaraş.

In the northern and eastern parts of eastern Anatolia and around the eastern Black Sea, it ranged between 10 and 15 days.