Istanbul in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Istanbul sees average daytime highs around 19°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 194 mm of rain over about 25 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 25°C in early September to 12°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Istanbul's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Istanbul's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 19°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 15°C
- Rainfall
- 194 mm
- 25 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.2
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Istanbul in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 25°C in early September to 12°C by late November.
A typical fall day in Istanbul reaches about 19°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
Istanbul weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8° / 5° | 84 | 12.6 | 3.1 | 9.4 | 1.3 |
| Feb | 9° / 5° | 70 | 11.6 | 2.6 | 10.4 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 11° / 6° | 72 | 10.5 | 0.9 | 11.7 | 2.5 |
| Apr | 14° / 10° | 47 | 8.3 | 0.1 | 13.1 | 4.6 |
| May | 19° / 14° | 35 | 6.2 | 0 | 14.3 | 7.0 |
| Jun | 24° / 19° | 32 | 5.4 | 0 | 14.9 | 8.1 |
| Jul | 27° / 21° | 23 | 3.5 | 0 | 14.6 | 8.3 |
| Aug | 27° / 22° | 21 | 3.2 | 0 | 13.6 | 8.3 |
| Sep | 24° / 19° | 46 | 6.3 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.9 |
| Oct | 19° / 15° | 75 | 8.8 | 0 | 10.9 | 6.4 |
| Nov | 14° / 11° | 72 | 9.8 | 0.1 | 9.7 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 10° / 7° | 99 | 13 | 1.5 | 9.1 | 2.1 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Istanbul gets around 194 mm of rain over 25 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 15 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 13 hours in early September to 9 h 18 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.2 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Istanbul?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Istanbul for sightseeing.
What to pack for Istanbul in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Istanbul sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes, a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 25 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Istanbul in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 19°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in August at about 24°C and coldest in February near 8°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 11 to Oct 7 — about 3.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 12 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Bracing |
| Feb | 8 | Bracing |
| Mar | 9 | Bracing |
| Apr | 11 | Bracing |
| May | 16 | Cool |
| Jun | 21 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 23 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 24 | Warm |
| Sep | 22 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 19 | Cool |
| Nov | 15 | Cool |
| Dec | 12 | Bracing |
UV index in Istanbul in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Istanbul peaks around July 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 2 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 4 | Moderate |
| Nov | 2 | Moderate |
| Dec | 1 | Low |
Air quality in Istanbul in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Istanbul is worst in March — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 16 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Istanbul's WHO annual average of 21.9 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 20 | 25 | 32 | 29 | 24 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 18 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Moderate |
| Feb | 25 | Moderate |
| Mar | 32 | Moderate |
| Apr | 29 | Moderate |
| May | 24 | Moderate |
| Jun | 19 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 19 | Moderate |
| Oct | 20 | Moderate |
| Nov | 21 | Moderate |
| Dec | 18 | Moderate |
Where is Istanbul?
Istanbul sits at 41.0°N, 28.9°E, 39 m above sea level, in Turkey. The nearest listed city is Fatih, 1.0 km away.
Topography around Istanbul
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Istanbul.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Istanbul has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,294 m.
The land around Istanbul is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) and water (26%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (41%) and water (37%) within 16 km, and water (55%) and trees (28%) within 80 km.
Turkey travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 41% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $18,599
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.3 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Homicide rate
- 3.2
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 6.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 488
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Istanbul (41.0138°, 28.9497°, elevation 39 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.