Precipitation levels across Türkiye during the 2025 water year remained below both the long-term average and last year’s figures, dropping to the lowest levels in the past 65 years in Central Anatolia and in the past 18 years in the Marmara and Aegean regions.
According to data from the General Directorate of Meteorology under the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, the term “water year precipitation” refers to the average rainfall between Oct. 1 and Sept. 30, coinciding with the agricultural irrigation season each year.
These precipitation figures reveal the state of meteorological drought.
Between Oct. 1, 2024, and Aug. 31, 2025, the nationwide average precipitation was measured at 401.1 kilograms per square meter.
This figure is 27% lower than the water year normal of 548.5 kilograms per square meter and 29% lower than last year’s figure of 563.2 kilograms per square meter.
Overall, the 11-month precipitation average for the 2025 water year across Türkiye fell to its lowest level in the past 52 years.
Precipitation decreased by more than 60% in some parts of southeastern Anatolia and around Hatay, while it increased by more than 20% in the provinces of Sinop, Samsun, Ordu, Giresun and Trabzon.
Across the country, water year precipitation in all regions remained below both long-term averages and last year’s levels.
The sharpest decline compared to normals was observed in Southeastern Anatolia, with a 53% drop. Over the 11 months, yearly water precipitation fell to the lowest levels in 65 years in Southeastern Anatolia and Central Anatolia, 51 years in the Mediterranean region and 18 years in the Marmara and Aegean regions.
By province, the highest rainfall was recorded in Rize with 1,546.8 kilograms per square meter, while the largest increase compared to the norm was in Giresun with 24%. The lowest precipitation was in Şanlıurfa with 182.3 kilograms per square meter, and the largest decrease compared to the norm occurred in Hatay with 64%.
In the 2025 water year, rainfall levels fell to their lowest in 65 years in Bilecik, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kırıkkale, Kırşehir, Kilis, Mardin, Nevşehir, Şanlıurfa, Van, Kayseri, Tekirdağ, Edirne, Batman, Şırnak, Çanakkale, and Siirt; 61 years in Kütahya; 52 years in Afyonkarahisar, Karaman, and Osmaniye; 51 years in Aksaray, Konya, and Niğde; 48 years in Bursa; 47 years in Adıyaman, Ankara, and Çankırı; and 40 years in Kocaeli and Yalova.
