Heat waves across Türkiye have grown significantly more frequent and intense over the past 75 years, with the summers of 2023 and 2025 emerging as the country's most severe on record, according to a new study by researchers at Istanbul Technical University (ITU).
Presented at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) conference, the study examined heat wave patterns across Türkiye between 1950 and 2025 using the Heat Wave Magnitude Index daily (HWMId), an indicator that measures the intensity of extreme heat based on daily maximum temperatures.
The findings reveal a sharp increase in both the frequency and severity of heat waves.
Average summer temperatures, which ranged between 22-23 degrees Celsius (72-73 degrees Fahrenheit) from 1970 to 1990, rose to 24-25 degrees Celsius after warming accelerated in the early 2000s. The average summer temperature reached a record 26.1 degrees Celsius in 2024.
However, researchers found that the intensity of heat waves has increased even faster than average temperatures.
