In the central tourist province of Turkey, the record for the maximum average temperature for December in the last 92 years was broken. Thus, the temperature in Antalya became almost the same as in Hurghada, Egypt. Such data was published by the Regional Department of Meteorology No. 4 in Antalya.
The average maximum temperature in December 1960 was +18.8°C, and in 1930, i.e., since the beginning of measurements – +19.1°C. Temperatures have risen across the country due to the intense heat that set in last December. Abnormally warm weather also lasts for a month in the tourist city of Antalya. The average temperature is 1.7 degrees higher than the norm for the season and has so far reached +13.7°C. The highest temperature measured in December in the resort town reached +22.2°C and the lowest was — +4.2°C.
“In December, clear and cloudless weather prevailed. Precipitation was around the seasonal norm, but we also saw very heavy rain in places, especially in the western counties. In general, it was a hot and cloudless month. Looking at the archival information of the Main Directorate of Meteorology of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanism and Climate Change, we see that December was 2 degrees above the normal for the season. Our average December temperature was +13.7°C,” Mehmet Latif Gültekin, director of the Regional Directorate of Meteorology No. 4 in Antalya, told local media.
According to him, the new record of Antalya, which was set last December, is +16.7°C. “This suggests that the maximum temperature remains 2.4 degrees higher than it has been for many years. December has an average minimum temperature of +9.7°C, and for many years – +7.7°C… If we look at December of previous years, the average maximum temperature was last measured in 1960 at the level of +18.8°C. This year, it also exceeded this value and broke the record for the maximum average temperature for December – +19.1,” he added.
In addition, the first week of January passed without precipitation. It is warm in the province because the thermometer is above the seasonal norm. In the second week, the approach of a new rain system is already noticeable. “Our country is located in the middle belt of latitudes. We are in the collision zone of both southern and northern weather systems. In December, our region was under the influence of a high-pressure center. This pressure center also predicts days with little cloudiness and no precipitation,” the Turkish forecaster summarized.
For comparison: Hurghada in Egypt in December is characterized by cold winds and stable average temperatures. So, in Hurghada and the resorts of the western coast of the Red Sea, as a rule, the air warms up to +21°C. At the same time, it is much warmer in the resorts of the Sinai Peninsula, in Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab – the daytime temperature is about +24°C.