Ankara climate
Ankara (Turkey) has a hot-summer continental (dry summer) climate (Köppen Dsa). The average temperature over the year is 12 °C54 °F, and about 419 mm16 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Ankara climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 439 | −424 | 032 | 502.0 |
| Feb | 744 | −327 | 236 | 361.4 |
| Mar | 1254 | 032 | 643 | 421.6 |
| Apr | 1763 | 439 | 1151 | 391.5 |
| May | 2373 | 949 | 1661 | 512.0 |
| Jun | 2882 | 1356 | 2069 | 441.7 |
| Jul | 3290 | 1661 | 2475 | 130.5 |
| Aug | 3290 | 1661 | 2476 | 140.5 |
| Sep | 2781 | 1254 | 2068 | 190.8 |
| Oct | 2068 | 745 | 1457 | 331.3 |
| Nov | 1254 | 135 | 744 | 311.2 |
| Dec | 643 | −327 | 235 | 461.8 |
| Year | 3290 | −424 | 1254 | 41916 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87% | 73% | 1.9 | 9:38 |
| Feb | 81% | 68% | 2.9 | 10:38 |
| Mar | 73% | 62% | 4.1 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 67% | 58% | 5.4 | 13:13 |
| May | 64% | 52% | 6.5 | 14:22 |
| Jun | 59% | 37% | 7.3 | 14:59 |
| Jul | 49% | 21% | 7.7 | 14:44 |
| Aug | 47% | 20% | 6.8 | 13:44 |
| Sep | 51% | 29% | 5.4 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 63% | 44% | 3.7 | 11:04 |
| Nov | 73% | 52% | 2.5 | 9:55 |
| Dec | 84% | 69% | 1.7 | 9:21 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Ankara is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 16 °C61 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 4 °C39 °F and lows −4 °C24 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 24.6 °C44.3 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 419 mm16 in. The wettest three-month stretch is April–June, which brings 32% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: July–September. The wettest month is May (51 mm2.0 in), the driest is July (13 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 47% in August to 87% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 20%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in November to 9 km/h (6 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.0 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Ankara
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and September and October: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 19 mm0.8 in to 51 mm2.0 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 4 °C39 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Ankara weather by month
- January4 °C39 °F / −4 °C24 °F
- February7 °C44 °F / −3 °C27 °F
- March12 °C54 °F / 0 °C32 °F
- April17 °C63 °F / 4 °C39 °F
- May23 °C73 °F / 9 °C49 °F
- June28 °C82 °F / 13 °C56 °F
- July32 °C90 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- August32 °C90 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- September27 °C81 °F / 12 °C54 °F
- October20 °C68 °F / 7 °C45 °F
- November12 °C54 °F / 1 °C35 °F
- December6 °C43 °F / −3 °C27 °F
What to pack for Ankara
- Winter (December–February) — highs 439 to 7 °C44 °F, lows −424 to −3 °C27 °F, about 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1254 to 23 °C73 °F, lows 032 to 9 °C49 °F, about 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2882 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1356 to 16 °C61 °F, about 24 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1254 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 135 to 12 °C54 °F, about 28 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Ankara compares
Compared with Istanbul, about 352 km to the west, Ankara is on average 3.2 °C5.8 °F cooler and receives 33% less precipitation (419 mm16 in vs 624 mm25 in). The difference is largest in January (6.2 °C11.2 °F cooler).
Of the 87 places in Turkey covered by World Climates, Ankara is the 73rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 72nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Turkey climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Ardabil (Iran, Dsa), Odesa (Ukraine, Dfa) and Boise (United States, Dsa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Çankaya (pop. 792,189). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Ankara, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Gölbaşı 15 km · 11 °C52 °F · 432 mm17 in
- Kırıkkale 56 km · 13 °C55 °F · 436 mm17 in
- Bolu 139 km · 12 °C54 °F · 561 mm22 in
- Kırşehir 141 km · 12 °C54 °F · 374 mm15 in
- Karabük 144 km · 15 °C58 °F · 682 mm27 in
- Düzce 176 km · 15 °C58 °F · 753 mm30 in
- Kastamonu 180 km · 11 °C52 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Çorum 191 km · 12 °C53 °F · 474 mm19 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Ankara?
August is the warmest month in Ankara, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (61 °F).
What is the coldest month in Ankara?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 4 °C (39 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (24 °F).
When does it rain the most in Ankara?
May is the wettest month with about 51 mm (2.0 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 13 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Ankara?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and June and September and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,128 m, while Ankara lies at about 850 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.8 °C3.3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.