Türkiye records highest June temperature in Europe: Expert

ISTANBUL

Türkiye experienced the highest temperatures in Europe last month amidst a heat wave originating from Africa, a meteorology expert has stated.

Parts of southern Europe sweltered in record temperatures in June as warm air was blown across from North Africa and more is yet to come. Heat waves across Greek Cyprus left multiple people dead in June, with schools and tourist attractions closed.

Particularly, Türkiye and Greece endured one of the most extreme heat periods last month.

"Throughout June, we were the hottest country in Europe. While averages in Istanbul are usually around 28 degrees, temperatures soared up to 35 degrees. In the Aegean region, temperatures exceeded 40 degrees," prominent meteorologist Orhan Şen remarked.

The Marmara and Aegean regions, along with the interior parts of the country, received almost no rainfall since the beginning of June, Şen said, warning that this drought poses a dangerous risk of forest fires.

Another meteorologist, Barış Önol, noted that in some areas, June temperatures were four degrees higher than the average over the past 60 years.

"Beyond being the hottest June on record, it surpassed the temperatures of many past Julys and Augusts. This is an unprecedented situation," Önol stated.

In the Aegean city of İzmir, which has been grappling with forest fires, maximum temperatures did not drop below 30 degrees throughout June, he said.

"There were 12 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees. There hasn’t been a similar year since 1964. For the İzmir/Selçuk station, June averages were 4.7 degrees hotter compared to the past 60 years. Many other stations show a similar trend. The forecast indicates that these high temperatures will persist."

Hüsrev Özkara, the head of the Turkish Foresters Association, commented, "The forest fires in June are a harbinger of potentially much larger fires that could occur in July and August."

Meanwhile, new meteorology reports said that temperatures in the interior and western regions will decrease with rainfalls but will rise again subsequently.