Antalya is officially a disaster! If this continues, we might never see it again.
There has been a significant decrease in precipitation rates across Turkey. Experts have issued a catastrophic report not only for major cities like Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Antalya, Hatay, and Adana, but for the entire country. They stated that if this trend continues, we may not see any rainfall next year, advising people to stay at home and cry. This month has recorded the lowest precipitation rates in the last 23 years.
Compared to June of last year, rainfall has decreased by 80%. Throughout Turkey, there has been a 65% decrease compared to the normal levels. According to data from the Turkish State Meteorological Service, June 2024 precipitation levels have reached the lowest in the past 23 years.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS DECREASED
Between 1991 and 2020, the average rainfall in June was 33.6 mm per square meter, while in 2023 it was recorded at 58.1 mm. However, in June 2024, this amount dropped to 11.9 mm.
80% REDUCTION
Rainfall decreased by 80% compared to last year, and by 65% compared to normal levels. The lowest June rainfall in the past 23 years was observed nationwide in Turkey.
REGIONAL EVALUATION
June rainfall showed decreases of up to 60% compared to normal levels in the entire Marmara Region except for Kırklareli, Western and Central Black Sea regions, Coastal Aegean, eastern Antalya, Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa, Elazığ, Diyarbakır, and Bingöl.
DECREASES IN RAINFALL
Increases of over 20% were observed in Giresun, Trabzon, Rize, and Artvin coasts, but overall rainfall remained below normal across Turkey. The Marmara Region showed the largest decrease at 92%. The Aegean and Mediterranean regions experienced their lowest rainfall in the past 23 years, while the Marmara and Black Sea regions saw their lowest in the past 21 years, and the Central Anatolia Region had its lowest in the past 12 years.
CONDITION OF PROVINCES
The highest rainfall per square meter at the provincial level was recorded in Rize with 97 mm, while the lowest rainfall was 0.4 mm in İzmir. Compared to normal, the largest increase was 26% in Hakkari, and the largest decrease was 98% in Çanakkale. Bilecik, Bursa, Çanakkale, Edirne, İzmir, Kocaeli, and Yalova experienced their lowest rainfall in the past 64 years, while Adana, Ardahan, and Osmaniye saw their lowest rainfall in the past 44 years.
DECREASE IN RAINY DAYS
In June, where the 1991-2020 average was 6.5 days of rainfall, this year an average of 3.4 rainy days were recorded nationwide in Turkey. This number dropped below 3 days in the central and coastal parts of the Aegean Region, western Antalya, southern Adana, Gaziantep, Kilis, and Kahramanmaraş regions. In contrast, the northeastern and eastern parts of Eastern Anatolia, as well as the Eastern Black Sea region, experienced between 10 to 15 rainy days.
