Istanbul climate
Istanbul is warmest in August, with average highs of 28 °C, and coldest in February, when nights average 4.0 °C. December is the wettest month (98 mm) and July the driest (20 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Istanbul averages 677 mm of rain, 85 days above 25 °C and 7 days below freezing.
Turkey · population 15,701,602 · 1991–2020 normals
- Warmest month August 28 °C
- Coldest month February 4.0 °C
- Driest month July 20 mm
- Wettest month December 98 mm
- Least cloud July 19 % cloud
- Hottest on record July 35 °C
- Coldest on record January -7.8 °C
- Warmest sea August 24 °C
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.2 °C | 85 mm | 67 % |
| February | 8.8 °C | 71 mm | 64 % |
| March | 11.0 °C | 72 mm | 59 % |
| April | 15.1 °C | 47 mm | 53 % |
| May | 20.0 °C | 36 mm | 45 % |
| June | 24.9 °C | 34 mm | 30 % |
| July | 27.6 °C | 20 mm | 19 % |
| August | 27.9 °C | 20 mm | 21 % |
| September | 24.1 °C | 45 mm | 33 % |
| October | 19.2 °C | 78 mm | 51 % |
| November | 14.3 °C | 72 mm | 60 % |
| December | 10.1 °C | 98 mm | 67 % |
Temperature month by month
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Mean | Record high | Record low | Days above 25 °C | Days above 30 °C | Days below 0 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.2 °C | 4.0 °C | 6.2 °C | 17.8 °C | -7.8 °C | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| February | 8.8 °C | 4.0 °C | 6.4 °C | 18.8 °C | -6.8 °C | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| March | 11.0 °C | 5.4 °C | 8.2 °C | 22.1 °C | -4.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| April | 15.1 °C | 8.6 °C | 11.9 °C | 26.8 °C | 1.5 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 20.0 °C | 13.5 °C | 16.8 °C | 30.6 °C | 5.0 °C | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 24.9 °C | 18.3 °C | 21.6 °C | 34.8 °C | 11.8 °C | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| July | 27.6 °C | 21.0 °C | 24.2 °C | 35.3 °C | 15.9 °C | 27 | 4 | 0 |
| August | 27.9 °C | 21.7 °C | 24.6 °C | 34.9 °C | 16.0 °C | 28 | 6 | 0 |
| September | 24.1 °C | 18.3 °C | 21.1 °C | 34.6 °C | 11.7 °C | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 19.2 °C | 14.3 °C | 16.6 °C | 30.9 °C | 5.8 °C | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 14.3 °C | 9.9 °C | 12.1 °C | 23.1 °C | 0.7 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 10.1 °C | 6.2 °C | 8.2 °C | 21.4 °C | -1.8 °C | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 85 mm | 12 | 9.6 h/day | 67 % | 79 % | 23 km/h | 8.9 °C |
| February | 71 mm | 11 | 11 h/day | 64 % | 78 % | 23 km/h | 8.0 °C |
| March | 72 mm | 10 | 12 h/day | 59 % | 76 % | 22 km/h | 8.7 °C |
| April | 47 mm | 8 | 13 h/day | 53 % | 76 % | 20 km/h | 11.3 °C |
| May | 36 mm | 6 | 14 h/day | 45 % | 76 % | 19 km/h | 16.0 °C |
| June | 34 mm | 6 | 15 h/day | 30 % | 73 % | 19 km/h | 20.9 °C |
| July | 20 mm | 3 | 15 h/day | 19 % | 70 % | 21 km/h | 23.4 °C |
| August | 20 mm | 3 | 14 h/day | 21 % | 70 % | 23 km/h | 24.2 °C |
| September | 45 mm | 6 | 12 h/day | 33 % | 70 % | 21 km/h | 22.4 °C |
| October | 78 mm | 8 | 11 h/day | 51 % | 76 % | 21 km/h | 19.1 °C |
| November | 72 mm | 9 | 9.9 h/day | 60 % | 77 % | 21 km/h | 15.1 °C |
| December | 98 mm | 13 | 9.2 h/day | 67 % | 78 % | 23 km/h | 11.5 °C |
How Istanbul compares
The same four figures for nearby destinations, so the numbers above have something to be read against. Summer high is the warmest month's average high; winter low is the coldest month's average low.
| Destination | Summer high | Winter low | Rain per year | Days above 25 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Istanbul | 28 °C | 4.0 °C | 677 mm | 85 |
| Bağcılar · Turkey | 27 °C | 3.6 °C | 677 mm | 78 |
| Esenyurt · Turkey | 27 °C | 3.7 °C | 635 mm | 76 |
| Arnavutköy · Turkey | 28 °C | 2.7 °C | 658 mm | 86 |
| Gebze · Turkey | 28 °C | 2.1 °C | 684 mm | 83 |
| İzmit · Turkey | 28 °C | 1.4 °C | 919 mm | 104 |
| Bursa · Turkey | 30 °C | 1.8 °C | 861 mm | 114 |
Where Istanbul ranks
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Best beach destinations in Asia in August | 3rdof 50 | 99/100 |
| Best beach destinations in Asia in July | 9thof 50 | 97/100 |
| Best beach destinations in the world in August | 10thof 50 | 99/100 |
| Best beach destinations in the world in July | 28thof 50 | 97/100 |
| Best beach destinations in Asia in June | 33rdof 50 | 82/100 |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Istanbul.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.