Rainy start to summer anticipated

After occasional rainy spells and temperatures below seasonal norms, Turkey will finally shift into genuine summer weather this week. Alas, rising temperatures will still be accompanied with rainfall, especially for western Turkey.

The General Directorate of Meteorology, the state-run weather forecast service, predicts generally sunny weather with temperatures today up to 26 degrees Celsius in Istanbul and as high as 35 degrees Celsius in the western city of Aydın, with rainfall prevailing despite high temperatures in the Black Sea region in the north.

Rainfall is predicted for the Marmara region including Istanbul tomorrow, although temperatures will remain high, 27 degrees Celsius in some cities. İzmir and other western cities will enjoy or dread temperatures as high as 34 degrees Celsius, while temperatures will float around 30 degrees Celsius in the main Mediterranean resort city of Antalya. Central Anatolia, including capital Ankara and Konya, will see respective temperatures of 28 and 31 degrees Celsius. Alternately hot and rainy weather is predicted for southeastern and eastern Turkey tomorrow. The highest temperatures are predicted for Şanlıurfa province at 36 degrees Celsius , while the eastern city of Van will have one of the lowest temperatures at 20 degrees Celsius with occasional rainfall. Precipitation will hit western Turkey at times on Friday and Saturday, although the Aegean region will be spared from the spell. An umbrella rather than a coat might be sufficient to stave off the rainfall as temperatures will be between 26 and 33 degrees Celsius in most cities in Marmara, from Istanbul in the north to Bursa and Balıkesir in the southern part of the region.

Temperatures between 25 and 32 degrees Celsius are predicted for western Turkey on Sunday with no precipitation. The southern, eastern, northern and central regions will also see temperatures near or above 30 degrees Celsius on Sunday, although cities in Ankara's north, particularly those in the eastern Black Sea region will see rainy weather on Sunday.