Turkey Records Hottest Year in 2024

"In 2024, the average temperature in Turkey was 15.6 degrees Celsius, which is 1.7C higher than the average between 1991-2020," the bureau said in a statement.

"The year 2024 was the hottest in the last 53 years," it said, referring to 1971, when Turkey first began keeping temperature records in line with international standards.

The bureau completed its 2024 temperature assessment report by analyzing temperature readings from 220 stations and comparing them to long-term averages.

The previous record of 15.5 degrees was set in 2010.

Monthly temperature records were broken in January, April, June and July, while average temperatures were above normal for 10 months, with only May and November registering below-average values.

Many countries, including China, Brazil, Japan and the United States also registered their hottest year on record in 2024, with India saying it logged the highest temperatures ever since 1901.

In Turkey, average temperatures have been higher than normal every year since 2007, "except in 2011," the bureau added.

Last year, rainfall was 6.3 percent lower than normal, with the lack of rain most pronounced along the drought-hit Aegean coast in the west, where it was 22.4 percent lower.

Major cities such as Ankara, Istanbul and İzmir recorded below-average precipitation in 2024.

In recent years, drought, combined with the over-exploitation of groundwater, has accelerated the formation of sinkholes and massive craters that have appeared in Konya, a vast central agricultural province and Turkey's breadbasket.

Precipitation levels declined across most areas, with the exception of the Black Sea and Eastern Anatolia regions, with the former having maintained rainfall levels close to normal and the latter having experienced a 7.5 percent increase.

The Black Sea province of Rize emerged as the city with the highest rainfall, receiving 1,869.9 kilograms per square meter — approximately 17 percent above its historical average.

The weather agency did not mention climate change but last month, the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said 2024 was the world's hottest year on record, urging nations to pull back from the "road to ruin."

Last week, Europe's Copernicus climate monitor said average global temperatures had exceeded a critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit for the first time over the past two years.

Source: HDN