The climate is mild in the coastal regions due to the influence of the sea. The central regions are sealed from the sea by the Northern Anatolian Mountains and the Taurus Mountain Range and demonstrate characteristics of a continental climate.

The Mediterranean and Aegean coastal regions up to an altitude of 800 m inland are characterized by the Mediterranean climate. In this climate summers are hot and arid while winters are mild and rainy. Annual rainfall is about 1000 mm in some places but considerably less in others. Frost and snowfall - except for high mountain regions - are rare.

The Black Sea climate occurs in the northern regions of Turkey especially on the mountain ridges facing the sea. The summer is less hot than in the Mediterranean region. The winter is colder than in the south. Occasionally there is frost, fog and snow. The main characteristic of this climate is that it rains winter and summer due the precipitation of the humid weather from the Black Sea. The region has the highest rainfall in Turkey with Rize province, for instance, getting 2200 mm.

The continental climate is seen in regions distant from the sea and surrounded by mountains. Central Anatolia, Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia and the inland of Thrace are in this category. Temperature differences between night and day and summer and winter are sharp, and rain is relatively infrequent. Winters are long and cold with heavy snowfall while summers are short but hot. Eastern Anatolia is the region most exposed to this climate because the high mountains result in more precipitation. The rainiest season in Central Anatolia is spring, in Southeastern Anatolia, winter. While Southeastern Anatolia receives relatively more rain, it is threatened by desertification due to high heat and evaporation.