Turkey had its warmest July in years as temperatures across the country climbed higher than recent averages, Istanbul meteorology director said Tuesday.

Istanbul 1st Regional Meteorology Director Ahmet Kocaman said July was 1.3 degrees Celsius warmer than the last several years, up to 25.8 degrees C (78.4 degrees F) in 2018 from a long-term average of 24.5 degrees C (76.1 degrees F).

The lowest temperature for July was recorded in Erzurum, an eastern city, at 4.7 degrees C (40.5 degrees F). The highest temperature was 47.4 degrees (117.3 degrees F) in Cizre, a district in southeastern Şırnak Province.

Kocaman said that while some regions of Turkey – particularly the Marmara region, western Black Sea, and parts of the Aegean and Mediterranean regions – continue to see average temperature throughout the summer months, other regions of Turkey are experiencing hotter than average temperatures.

He warned that as global temperatures continue to rise, Turkey will also feel the heat.

Recent bouts of heavy rainfall causing floods in the Black Sea and Marmara regions and droughts in other are also a result of climate change, Kocaman explained.

Municipalities should take rigorous measures to protest against extreme weather conditions, he added.