Extreme weather events in Türkiye have more than doubled in 20 years, meteorological data show
The Turkish State Meteorological Service recorded 1,329 events in the first nine months of 2026, already more than in most full years of the past decade.
Extreme weather events in Türkiye have more than doubled over the past two decades, rising from fewer than 400 a year in the early 2000s to 1,329 in the first nine months of 2026, according to data from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
The figures, compiled by the climate news site İklim Haber, show that this year's nine-month total already exceeds the full-year counts of most previous years. The peak came in 2023, with 1,475 events, followed by 1,257 in 2024 and 1,011 in 2025.
Heavy rain and flooding have been the most common type of event in most years, including 2026, when they accounted for 33% of events recorded through August. Storms made up 20%, hail 17%, landslides 10% and heavy snowfall 8%.
Many of the events have been deadly. Floods in the Black Sea provinces of Kastamonu, Sinop and Bartın killed 97 people in 2021, an avalanche in Van killed 41 people in 2020, and a flood in Şanlıurfa killed 21 people in 2023.
In September alone, the service logged 66 events, including 24 heavy rain and flood episodes, 16 storms and nine landslides, along with two forest fires and a sandstorm.
This brief is based on reporting by the İklim Haber newsroom, published Oct. 30, 2026. Read the original: https://www.iklimhaber.org/turkiyede-asiri-hava-olaylari-son-20-yilda-2-kattan-fazla-artti/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
