Turkey’s average rainfall in August increased by 10% compared with the long-term normal and by more than 100% compared with the same month last year. According to the General Directorate of Meteorology’s August 2026 Area-Based Rainfall Report, rainfall reached 16.2 kilograms, exceeding the long-term average of 14.8 kilograms; this figure was 7.9 kilograms in August 2025. The highest rainfall was measured in Rize, at 107.5 kilograms.
Rainfall was below normal in the Marmara, Aegean and Central Anatolia regions, and above normal in the other regions. Compared with normal levels, decreases of 84% in the Marmara, 71% in the Aegean and 82% in the Mediterranean were recorded. A 7% decrease was recorded in Central Anatolia. Rainfall increased by 11% in the Black Sea region, 85% in Eastern Anatolia and 6% in Southeastern Anatolia compared with normal levels.
The average number of rainy days in Turkey was 3.8; it reached 15-20 days along the Eastern Black Sea coast and in Ardahan and Kars. No rainfall was recorded in some provinces.
Why it matters
The increase in the national average does not mean that rainfall was distributed evenly across Turkey; the occurrence of significant decreases in some regions and increases in others during the same month shows that the average figure conceals local conditions. For this reason, rainfall conditions have to be assessed through their regional distribution rather than the countrywide total. The number of rainy days rising along the Eastern Black Sea coast and in Ardahan and Kars, while no rainfall was recorded at all in some provinces, indicates that conditions can vary even over short distances. The report does not explain the impact of this disparity on agriculture, water use or other local activities; therefore, the question of whether the results at the provincial level should be examined separately remains open.
Background
Türkiye is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 42 news reports mentioning this name in the past 90 days; the latest was dated September 10, 2026.