November temperatures in Turkey hovered 2.6 degrees Celsius above average, and this trend is set to continue into mid-2020, according to state officials and meteorology experts.
"For many years the average temperature in November was 8.9 degrees Celsius, but in 2019, it was 11.5 degrees Celsius," said the Turkish State Meteorological Service.
Hüseyin Toros, an expert on atmospheric science and air quality at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), confirmed that Turkey is seeing a warm fall.
Estimated temperatures through May 2020 are expected to be above the seasonal norm, he said, citing data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, an independent intergovernmental organization supported by 34 states.
"When the temperature averages in September, October and November 2019 are compared with long-term averages (1981-2010), we can see an obvious temperature difference," Toros said.
Calling last month's warmer period across Turkey "unusual," Toros said there are oscillations in the natural structure of the climate and a rise in the number and severity of meteorological events.
"Increases in the number and severity of extreme meteorological events can be considered both a result of unplanned land use and climate change," he explained.