Van climate
Van (Turkey) has a hot-summer continental (dry summer) climate (Köppen Dsa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 447 mm18 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Van climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 032 | −915 | −424 | 461.8 | 31 |
| Feb | 236 | −524 | −130 | 431.7 | 25 |
| Mar | 745 | 134 | 440 | 602.3 | 13 |
| Apr | 1355 | 642 | 948 | 672.6 | 2 |
| May | 1865 | 1152 | 1558 | 471.9 | 0 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1662 | 2169 | 180.7 | 0 |
| Jul | 3086 | 2068 | 2577 | 70.3 | 0 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2169 | 2578 | 50.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 2576 | 1662 | 2169 | 110.4 | 0 |
| Oct | 1762 | 1050 | 1356 | 461.8 | 0 |
| Nov | 847 | 236 | 542 | 461.8 | 8 |
| Dec | 236 | −523 | −130 | 522.0 | 26 |
| Year | 3086 | −915 | 1152 | 44718 | 105 |
“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 | 78% | 77% | 2.5 | 9:45 |
| Feb | 73% | 81% | 3.4 | 10:42 |
| Mar | 65% | 80% | 4.3 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 62% | 71% | 5.3 | 13:09 |
| May | 56% | 60% | 6.5 | 14:15 |
| Jun | 43% | 39% | 7.9 | 14:50 |
| Jul | 35% | 36% | 7.8 | 14:36 |
| Aug | 31% | 35% | 7.1 | 13:39 |
| Sep | 36% | 41% | 5.9 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 51% | 59% | 3.9 | 11:07 |
| Nov | 62% | 69% | 2.6 | 10:01 |
| Dec | 73% | 75% | 2.1 | 9:29 |
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 Van is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 21 °C69 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 0 °C32 °F and lows −9 °C15 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 29.9 °C53.9 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 447 mm18 in. The wettest three-month stretch is March–May, which brings 39% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–September. The wettest month is April (67 mm2.6 in), the driest is August (5 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 31% in August to 78% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 35%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in December to 12 km/h (7 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in November–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 20 cm).
Best time to visit Van
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May and June and September: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 25 °C77 °F with 11 mm0.4 in to 47 mm1.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 0 °C32 °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 Van
- Winter (December–February) — highs 032 to 2 °C36 °F, lows −915 to −5 °C24 °F, about 47 mm1.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 745 to 18 °C65 °F, lows 134 to 11 °C52 °F, about 58 mm2.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2577 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1662 to 21 °C69 °F, about 10 mm0.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 847 to 25 °C76 °F, lows 236 to 16 °C62 °F, about 34 mm1.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Van compares
Compared with Orumiyeh, about 182 km to the southeast, Van is on average 2.3 °C4.2 °F cooler and receives 48% more precipitation (447 mm18 in vs 301 mm12 in). The difference is largest in January (4.2 °C7.5 °F cooler).
Of the 87 places in Turkey covered by World Climates, Van is the 84th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 64th 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: Boise (United States, Dsa), Salt Lake City (United States, Dsa) and West Jordan (United States, Dsa).
Nearby places
- Khuy 137 km · 14 °C58 °F · 271 mm11 in
- Ağrı 139 km · 9 °C49 °F · 403 mm16 in
- Siirt 141 km · 16 °C61 °F · 563 mm22 in
- Silopi 161 km · 20 °C68 °F · 378 mm15 in
- Cizre 167 km · 20 °C68 °F · 446 mm18 in
- Iğdır 169 km · 15 °C58 °F · 408 mm16 in
- Orumiyeh 182 km · 13 °C56 °F · 301 mm12 in
- Dihok 184 km · 20 °C68 °F · 383 mm15 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Van?
August is the warmest month in Van, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (69 °F).
What is the coldest month in Van?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 0 °C (32 °F) and an average low of -9 °C (15 °F).
When does it rain the most in Van?
April is the wettest month with about 67 mm (2.6 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 5 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Van?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May and June and September.
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 1,877 m, while Van lies at about 1,708 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.1 °C2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.