Country gears up to brace for warmer temperatures

ISTANBUL

Temperatures across the country are expected to soar above seasonal norms, marking a much-anticipated step into the warmer season, with some regions expecting to exceed 30 degrees Celsius, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Mehmet Özhaseki has announced.

Urging citizens to exercise caution, especially the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, Özhaseki advised heeding the guidance of the Turkish State Meteorological Service’s announcements in light of this summer’s impending heatwave.

"According to the weather forecast report of the bureau, an increase in air temperatures is expected throughout our country. While air temperatures are expected to be four to 10 degrees above seasonal norms, temperatures are expected to rise above 30 degrees in some of our provinces," he wrote in a statement on social media.

April temperatures reached a record high in the southern province of Adana, where thermometers showed 39 degrees Celsius.

In addition to scorching heat threatening human health, Özhaseki warned all citizens to act sensitively in order to prevent any forest fires with the warming of the weather.

The country takes comprehensive measures to cope with wildfires during summer every year. According to a map shared last year by the European Union’s Copernicus Earth Observation Program, several areas in Türkiye’s Mediterranean and Southern Aegean regions were identified as "extremely high-risk" zones.

Firefighting teams are on high alert, responding swiftly to new fires erupting in these vulnerable regions.

Amid the warning, on April 15, a forest fire ignited in southern province Antalya’s Manavgat district near hotel zones, potentially threatening vast expanses of woodland and businesses. Prompt intervention by firefighters’ units successfully contained the blaze, limiting its spread to a single acre.

With temperatures soaring, water levels have shown clear signs of depletion. In the Thrace region, known as Türkiye’s granary, groundwater levels have plummeted by a staggering 85 percent. Inhabitants of the region face dwindling water sources, exacerbated by climate change, drought and industrialization.

In Istanbul, temperatures above seasonal norms initially caused a decrease in the water level of dams last year.

However, according to the data shared by the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration on the latest situation in the dams, the water level reached a high level of 81 percent before the summer season.

In the first four months of 2024, the amount of precipitation that fell in dams was 248 kilograms per square meter.