Şanlıurfa climate
Şanlıurfa (Turkey) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C64 °F, and about 382 mm15 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Şanlıurfa climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 948 | −130 | 439 | 642.5 | 17 |
| Feb | 1153 | 133 | 643 | 562.2 | 10 |
| Mar | 1762 | 440 | 1051 | 461.8 | 3 |
| Apr | 2272 | 947 | 1560 | 431.7 | 0 |
| May | 2983 | 1457 | 2170 | 220.9 | 0 |
| Jun | 3696 | 1967 | 2882 | 50.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 40105 | 2475 | 3290 | 10.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 40104 | 2474 | 3289 | 10.0 | 0 |
| Sep | 3594 | 1967 | 2781 | 50.2 | 0 |
| Oct | 2780 | 1457 | 2069 | 271.1 | 0 |
| Nov | 1763 | 642 | 1253 | 441.7 | 2 |
| Dec | 1151 | 133 | 642 | 692.7 | 11 |
| Year | 40105 | −130 | 1864 | 38215 | 43 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74% | 62% | 2.1 | 9:52 |
| Feb | 72% | 63% | 2.9 | 10:46 |
| Mar | 67% | 58% | 4.3 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 60% | 57% | 5.6 | 13:06 |
| May | 52% | 47% | 6.8 | 14:09 |
| Jun | 36% | 21% | 8.0 | 14:42 |
| Jul | 27% | 14% | 7.9 | 14:29 |
| Aug | 29% | 17% | 7.0 | 13:34 |
| Sep | 31% | 20% | 5.8 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 42% | 40% | 4.0 | 11:10 |
| Nov | 58% | 46% | 2.7 | 10:07 |
| Dec | 70% | 56% | 2.0 | 9:37 |
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 Şanlıurfa is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 40 °C105 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 9 °C48 °F and lows −1 °C30 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.1 °C50.6 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is dry, with about 382 mm15 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 49% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is December (69 mm2.7 in), the driest is August (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 27% in July to 74% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 14%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in November to 13 km/h (8 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 9.6 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Şanlıurfa
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and October: average highs of 22 °C72 °F to 29 °C83 °F with 22 mm0.9 in to 43 mm1.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is hot, with average highs of 40 °C105 °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.
What to pack for Şanlıurfa
- Winter (December–February) — highs 948 to 11 °C53 °F, lows −130 to 1 °C33 °F, about 63 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1762 to 29 °C83 °F, lows 440 to 14 °C57 °F, about 37 mm1.5 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.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3696 to 40 °C105 °F, lows 1967 to 24 °C75 °F, about 2 mm0.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1763 to 35 °C94 °F, lows 642 to 19 °C67 °F, about 25 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Şanlıurfa compares
Compared with Gaziantep, about 126 km to the west, Şanlıurfa is on average 2.8 °C5 °F warmer and receives 17% less precipitation (382 mm15 in vs 462 mm18 in). The difference is largest in July (3.6 °C6.4 °F warmer).
Of the 87 places in Turkey covered by World Climates, Şanlıurfa is the 19th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 79th 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: Khorramabad (Iran, BSh), Sulaymaniyah (Iraq, BSh) and Al Bab (Syria, Csa).
Nearby places
- Suruç 39 km · 18 °C64 °F · 429 mm17 in
- Siverek 80 km · 16 °C60 °F · 431 mm17 in
- Adıyaman 81 km · 16 °C61 °F · 419 mm16 in
- Viranşehir 85 km · 18 °C65 °F · 327 mm13 in
- Gaziantep 126 km · 15 °C59 °F · 462 mm18 in
- Ar Raqqah 136 km · 19 °C67 °F · 276 mm11 in
- Malatya 138 km · 14 °C57 °F · 365 mm14 in
- Al Bab 144 km · 18 °C64 °F · 431 mm17 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Şanlıurfa?
July is the warmest month in Şanlıurfa, with an average high of 40 °C (105 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Şanlıurfa?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 9 °C (48 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (30 °F).
When does it rain the most in Şanlıurfa?
December is the wettest month with about 69 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Şanlıurfa?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May 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.