Chilly shift grips Türkiye as rain clouds gather

ANKARA

As summer's grip loosens, a fast-moving low-pressure system is set to usher in cooler, wetter days across Türkiye starting Sept. 18, with widespread rain expected nationwide, warns the Turkish State Meteorological Service.

Experts predict that the coming days will bring significant cooling, thunderstorms in several provinces and strong winds along coastal areas.

Fevzi Burak Tekin, a weather forecast specialist at the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry, said that most of the country will remain dry on Sept. 17, but added that “rainfall is expected in Trabzon, Rize and Artvin, as well as in the northern coastal districts of the western provinces of Kırklareli and Istanbul overnight into Sept. 18.”

By Sept. 18, much of northern and eastern Türkiye will come under the influence of the rainy system. Showers are expected in the eastern Marmara, the Black Sea region, the northern parts of Eastern Anatolia and in parts of the southern provinces of Mersin, Adana and Hatay.

Tekin highlighted that “particularly on Sept. 18, rainfall will be strong along the coastal areas of the western and eastern Black Sea, as well as in Kocaeli, Sakarya, Bolu, Karabük and Ordu.”

Strong northerly winds are also expected on Sept. 18 along the western and central Black Sea, as well as the coastal areas of the Marmara and Aegean regions. The unsettled weather will persist into Sept. 19, with showers forecast for the north and east of the country, in addition to Hatay and Adana.

Tekin warned that rainfall could be locally heavy along the Black Sea coast and in northeastern Anatolia.

The system is projected to weaken over the weekend, yet its impact will be felt most sharply in temperatures.

While conditions have been near seasonal norms, Tekin said values will fall noticeably by 6 to 12 degrees in the capital starting Sept. 18.

“In Ankara, temperatures will drop from 29 degrees Celsius on Sept. 17 to 23 on Sept. 18 and 20 by Sept. 19,” he said.

The western province of İzmir is expected to remain largely dry with partly cloudy skies, with highs hovering between 29 and 31 degrees Celsius over the next three days.

Istanbul, by contrast, is set to see showers beginning late Sept. 17 night, turning into widespread downpours and occasional thunderstorms across western Black Sea provinces, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Yalova and Bursa. Elsewhere, skies will remain mostly clear.

Temperatures in the south and west are expected to stay above seasonal norms, while other regions will hover near the averages for mid-September.

Winds will generally blow from the north at light to moderate strength.

According to the weather bureau, the Black Sea region faces three consecutive days of thunderstorms between Sept. 18 and 20.

From Sakarya to Artvin, heavy downpours may occasionally intensify, while daytime temperatures are forecast to range between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.

Nighttime lows, however, will dip below 20 degrees Celsius, decreasing by 14-17 degrees in many provinces.