Istanbul in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Istanbul sees average daytime highs around 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 253 mm of precipitation over about 37 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 12°C in early December to 9°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Istanbul's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Istanbul's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 9°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 6°C
- Precipitation
- 253 mm
- 37 wet days
- Avg wind
- 17 km/h
- Travel score
- 1.6
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Istanbul in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 12°C in early December to 9°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Istanbul reaches about 9°C and drops to 6°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Istanbul weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Istanbul gets around 253 mm of rain and snow over 37 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 17 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min in early December to 10 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 1.9 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Istanbul?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Istanbul.
What to pack for Istanbul in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Istanbul sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 37 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Istanbul in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 9°C across winter — 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 Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. 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 Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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.