Adil Tek: Light rain is possible in Istanbul; high temperatures will continue

Meteorological Engineer Adil Tek of the Kandilli Observatory Meteorological Laboratory warned against the high temperatures that will continue for a while, saying, "There's a possibility of light rain tomorrow afternoon in Istanbul. The system is a bit weak, which is a possibility, but it could intensify." He also noted that the high temperatures would continue to be prevalent, saying, "These high temperatures across the country will actually continue this week. There are rising temperatures, especially in the southern regions."

The General Directorate of Meteorology shared its forecast on social media that temperatures across Turkey will remain above seasonal norms. According to current forecasts, temperatures are expected to remain high across the country in the coming days.

"STARTING TOMORROW, COOL AIR IS COMING FROM THE BALKANS"

Adil Tek said, "High temperatures have been continuing these days. High temperatures have been persistent since the 19th of last week. They started to rise even more on the 22nd, and on the 26th, that is, the 25th and 26th, the highest temperatures in the country were measured last Friday and Saturday. That day was the peak. There have been a few drops of degrees since then, but high temperatures continue. Last week, on Friday, the 25th, a temperature of 50.5 degrees was measured in Silopi, Şırnak. This value was the highest temperature ever measured in our country. On the same day, temperatures approached 50 degrees in Cizre, also in the same province. Later, temperatures dropped by 1-2 degrees. In the inner regions, especially in the capital Ankara, Konya, Eskişehir, and other provinces in Central Anatolia, temperatures have been exceeding 40 degrees this week, yesterday, and today. There is a cool air coming from the north. "But it will only slightly affect our northern and northwestern regions. That warm air flow from the south continues. This is because the pressure from the Azores high pressure, already over Africa, or rather a little further west, is pushing the heat from Africa towards us, creating high temperatures. There's also a blockage to our north, what we call jet streams. That blockage is preventing the arrival of cool air from the north. Starting tomorrow, we expect a mild influx of cool air from the north, over the Balkans," he said.

"RAIN IS LIKELY FOR ISTANBUL IN THE AFTERNOON"

Tek said, "There's a slight chance of light rain in Istanbul tomorrow afternoon. The system is a bit weak; we're talking about it as a possibility, but it could intensify. It could even pass without any rain, but there's a chance of rain for Istanbul in the afternoon. This system will shift toward the western Black Sea region and the eastern part of the country tomorrow, from the northern regions toward the eastern Black Sea region. We'll see localized rainfall there as well. Heavy rain is expected, especially on Thursday, around Edirne and Çanakkale. There's also a very light rainfall possibility in Istanbul. These high temperatures across the country will actually continue this week. Rising temperatures are particularly prevalent in southern regions. Of course, there are humidity issues in coastal areas. Temperatures sometimes stay low, but this time, the humidity is high, leading to an increase in perceived temperatures. Cool air from the north will lower temperatures in northern regions tomorrow and in the coming days. In the coming days, it looks like it will again bring down rain, particularly in the inner Aegean region, around Central Anatolia, and in the Taurus Mountains region in the Mediterranean."

'Tropical Nights Are More Effective In Cities That Front The Sea'

Adil Tek said, "A tropical night is actually when the minimum temperature doesn't drop below 20 degrees Celsius. So, if the minimum temperature is above 20 degrees Celsius at night, we call it a 'tropical night.' It's especially prevalent in coastal cities, that is, cities with a coastline. Nighttime cooling is a bit more pronounced in inland areas. In coastal cities, due to the influence of the sea, nighttime temperatures don't drop much. This is felt more along our coasts. Of course, this also increases the humidity levels along the coasts. We actually measure a normal air temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, but when humidity increases there, the perceived temperature rises even higher. For example, where we are in Istanbul right now, the temperature is 29 degrees Celsius. We're on the Üsküdar coast, and it's 29 degrees Celsius, but because the humidity is currently over 60 percent, the perceived temperature rises to 34-35 degrees Celsius. Istanbul is very humid right now."

'THE NUMBER OF TROPICAL DAYS IN ISTANBUL LAST YEAR WAS 78'

He also touched on the concept of tropical days, as well as single tropical nights, saying, "In fact, unlike tropical nights, we call days when the maximum temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius 'tropical days.' Tropical days have also begun to increase in our country. For example, last year in Istanbul, the number of tropical days was 78 days. In fact, there has been an upward trend since the 1970s. The number of tropical days is steadily increasing. Of course, this stands as a very important indicator of global climate change."

'NO STAYING AT HOME'

Those sweltering from the heat chose to cool off on the beach and in parks. Satılmış Ayhan, who spent time by the beach, said, "Believe me, it's hard to stay home right now; it's like being in a sauna. Night and day are the same. We're throwing ourselves at the beach to avoid staying home. We're trying to catch fish. And when there's no fish, we hang out here until evening to avoid going home. We chat constantly with our friends. We cool off." Turgut Aral, complaining about the high temperatures, said, "I'm 60 years old. I've never seen such heat in my life. There's a strange climate phenomenon happening right now. The sea is incredibly cold, the likes of which we've never seen before. Nothing like this is possible. It's freezing; my chest feels tight. We go swimming and feel refreshed here."

DHA

Reporter: News Center