Turkey registers record heat in 2024 and its driest year since 1964 in 2025
Turkey experienced its hottest year on record in 2024 and its driest year since 1964 in 2025, according to the State Meteorological Service.
A recent analysis by the Turkish State Meteorological Service covering 2016-2025 confirms that 2024 was the hottest year on record for Turkey, with the national average temperature reaching 15.6 °C, surpassing the previous high of 15.1 °C in 2023. The following year, 2025 was identified as the country’s driest year since 1964, with annual rainfall 27.6 % below normal and severe deficits exceeding 60 % in parts of southeastern Turkey.
The report places the decade as the warmest ten-year period globally, echoing World Meteorological Organization findings that every year from 2015 to 2025 ranks among the eleven warmest on record. International agencies such as the Copernicus Climate Change Service and NOAA ranked 2025 as the third-warmest year worldwide, while ocean heat content also hit a modern record. Turkey also recorded its highest temperature ever, 50.5 °C, in Silopi, Şırnak. Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum called the data proof that climate change is already impacting Turkey and urged immediate mitigation efforts.
Why it matters
The data show accelerating climate change in Turkey, highlighting urgent need for mitigation and adaptation measures.
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