Tarsus climate
Tarsus (Turkey) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 21 °C69 °F, and about 574 mm23 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tarsus climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1355 | 540 | 948 | 1014.0 |
| Feb | 1559 | 643 | 1151 | 752.9 |
| Mar | 1967 | 948 | 1457 | 592.3 |
| Apr | 2475 | 1355 | 1865 | 401.6 |
| May | 3085 | 1763 | 2374 | 421.7 |
| Jun | 3595 | 2272 | 2984 | 190.7 |
| Jul | 39103 | 2678 | 3391 | 50.2 |
| Aug | 39102 | 2679 | 3290 | 60.2 |
| Sep | 3595 | 2373 | 2984 | 200.8 |
| Oct | 2984 | 1864 | 2374 | 331.3 |
| Nov | 2170 | 1152 | 1661 | 622.4 |
| Dec | 1559 | 744 | 1152 | 1144.5 |
| Year | 39103 | 540 | 2169 | 57423 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70% | 66% | 2.3 | 9:53 |
| Feb | 71% | 62% | 3.2 | 10:47 |
| Mar | 67% | 54% | 4.6 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 63% | 48% | 5.8 | 13:06 |
| May | 57% | 39% | 6.9 | 14:08 |
| Jun | 48% | 24% | 7.8 | 14:41 |
| Jul | 40% | 19% | 7.7 | 14:27 |
| Aug | 42% | 18% | 6.9 | 13:34 |
| Sep | 44% | 22% | 5.7 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 48% | 39% | 4.1 | 11:10 |
| Nov | 55% | 50% | 2.9 | 10:08 |
| Dec | 65% | 62% | 2.2 | 9:38 |
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 Tarsus is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 39 °C103 °F and a low of 26 °C78 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 13 °C55 °F and lows 5 °C40 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 23.7 °C42.7 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 574 mm23 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 50% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is December (114 mm4.5 in), the driest is July (5 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 40% in July to 71% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 18%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in May to 8 km/h (5 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.6 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Tarsus
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–May and October and November: average highs of 19 °C67 °F to 30 °C85 °F with 33 mm1.3 in to 62 mm2.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is July, which is hot, with average highs of 39 °C103 °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 Tarsus
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1355 to 15 °C59 °F, lows 540 to 7 °C44 °F, about 96 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1967 to 30 °C85 °F, lows 948 to 17 °C63 °F, about 47 mm1.9 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.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3595 to 39 °C103 °F, lows 2272 to 26 °C79 °F, about 10 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2170 to 35 °C95 °F, lows 1152 to 23 °C73 °F, about 38 mm1.5 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 Tarsus compares
Compared with Mersin, about 25 km to the southwest, Tarsus has practically the same average temperature and receives 12% more precipitation (574 mm23 in vs 514 mm20 in). The difference is largest in December (0.7 °C1.2 °F cooler).
Of the 87 places in Turkey covered by World Climates, Tarsus is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 44th 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: Relizane (Algeria, Csa), Beni Mellal (Morocco, Csa) and Chlef (Algeria, Csa).
Nearby places
- Mersin 25 km · 21 °C69 °F · 514 mm20 in
- Adana 39 km · 20 °C67 °F · 636 mm25 in
- Ereğli 100 km · 13 °C56 °F · 413 mm16 in
- Silifke 104 km · 20 °C69 °F · 640 mm25 in
- Arsuz 105 km · 21 °C70 °F · 675 mm27 in
- İskenderun 120 km · 20 °C68 °F · 614 mm24 in
- Osmaniye 122 km · 19 °C67 °F · 608 mm24 in
- Samandağ 134 km · 20 °C67 °F · 626 mm25 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tarsus?
July is the warmest month in Tarsus, with an average high of 39 °C (103 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (78 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tarsus?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 13 °C (55 °F) and an average low of 5 °C (40 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tarsus?
December is the wettest month with about 114 mm (4.5 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 5 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Tarsus?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–May and October and November.
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 232 m, while Tarsus lies at about 21 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.4 °C2.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.