76 mln face extreme heat this summer in Türkiye: Study

LONDON

This summer officially marked the hottest summer in Türkiye since 1970, with approximately 76 million people experiencing at least 30 days of exceptionally high temperatures brought on by climate change, according to the Climate Shift Index (CSI) conducted by the scientists from the international research organization Climate Central.

Researchers determined the country’s CSI level, examining how climate change affected the country's summertime heatwave and the overall population as a result of the study.

Positive CSI levels (ranging from 1 to 5) indicate that climate change has a discernible impact on temperatures. A CSI score of 1 means that temperatures are 1.5 times more likely to be higher than average, while a CSI rating of 2 or higher indicates two or three times increased likelihood of above-average temperatures.

According to Climate Central’s data, from June to August, 88 percent of the country’s population experienced intense heat for more than a month, which stemmed from the likelihood of experiencing such heatwaves by at least three times (corresponding to CSI level of 3) as a result of climate change.

The provinces Mersin, Adana, Denizli, Diyarbakır and İzmir emerged as the cities that witnessed the longest-lasting effects of the high temperatures brought on by climate change.

Temperatures of CSI level of 3 and above impacted the southern cities of Mersin and Adana for 90 and 82 days respectively. The southwestern city of Denizli experienced intense heat for 75 days, the southeastern province of Diyarbakır for 71 days, and the Aegean city of İzmir for 53 days during this period.

The megacity of Istanbul was affected by the high temperatures originating from climate change for 47 days, while the capital Ankara experienced such temperatures for 41 days.

The study showed that average temperatures were 2 degrees Celcius higher than usual during this three-month period, with the likelihood of above-average temperatures as a result of climate change having grown by three times during these months.

‘September sees deviation from usual rain pattern’

A meteorologist from Istanbul Aydın University noted that the country is witnessing a deviation from the typical pattern of precipitation in September, foreseeing milder fall with the likelihood of rain and thunderstorms.

“Cold wave is predicted to arrive from the Balkans in Istanbul and its surrounding region in the upcoming days,” Dr. Güven Özdemir pointed out.

He further added that the northern sections of Central Anatolia, Thrace and Marmara regions, the interior sections of the Black Sea and Aegean regions and the northern parts of Eastern Anatolia will experience intermittent showers and a drop in temperature.