Fethiye does not shut down in winter. It is a working market town as well as a resort, so shops, markets, hospitals and municipal services keep going after the charter flights stop. But winter is wetter, darker and much quieter in the resort villages. This guide covers the weather, heating, what stays open, getting in and out, and community life, as of November 2026.
Key points
- Fethiye gets about 835 mm of rain a year, and roughly 70% of it falls between November and February. December and January are the wettest months.
- January daytime highs average about 16°C and lows about 5–6°C. Snow is rare in town but common on the surrounding mountains.
- Heavy downpours and storms have flooded parts of the district in recent years, most recently in late October and early November 2026.
- As far as we could find, mains natural gas does not reach Fethiye homes, so most heating relies on electricity or stoves.
- Weekly markets and town-centre businesses keep going in winter. Many seasonal businesses in Ölüdeniz close at the end of the season.
For neighbourhoods and prices, see our guide to living in Fethiye. Still choosing a base? Read our Kalkan, Kaş and Fethiye comparison.
Winter weather
Long-term averages for Fethiye from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) show:
- December: highs of about 17°C, lows of about 6.6°C and 174 mm of rain, over about 12 rainy days.
- January: highs of about 16°C, lows of about 5.3°C and 160 mm of rain, over about 12 rainy days.
- February: highs of about 16°C, lows of about 5.7°C and 128 mm of rain, over about 11 rainy days.
- November and March: milder, with about 123 mm and 80 mm of rain.
NOAA normals for 1991–2020 give a similar picture, with about 843 mm a year. They count fewer rainy days because they include only days with at least 1 mm. Rain tends to come in heavy bursts with sunny spells between them. December gets about 127 hours of sunshine, against about 360 in July.
Mornings and evenings can be cold, especially indoors. In January 2026, temperatures dropped below freezing on some mornings, with frost, and snow fell on the hills and mountain villages. Snow often dusts Babadağ, the mountain above Ölüdeniz.
### Storms and floods
The main winter risk is heavy rain over a short time. Recent examples:
- 3 October 2025: about 130 mm of rain fell in two hours. Homes and businesses flooded, roads were closed and hotel ground floors in Ölüdeniz were flooded.
- 17–18 February 2026: a storm and heavy rain pushed the sea onto parts of Fethiye’s seafront promenade and flooded farmland and citrus groves. Municipal crews worked through the night.
- 27 October 2026: a downpour flooded some homes, workplaces and greenhouses in Fethiye. The next day, the Tersakan stream in neighbouring Dalaman burst its banks. See our report on the Dalaman floods and AFAD boat rescues.
- 3 November 2026: a short, intense storm made irrigation canals overflow in the Karagedik and Çiftlik neighbourhoods. It flooded some houses and greenhouses and set off a landslide on the road to Çenger.
MGM issues yellow and orange warnings before heavy rain. When one is in force, avoid underpasses and stream crossings. Our Çalış guide explains how to check a home’s flood risk before you buy.
Heating
### No mains gas yet
BOTAŞ, the state pipeline company, is building a main gas pipeline between Elmalı and Ortaca, and a 2023 presidential decision approved urgent expropriation for it. In March 2025, however, officials told local media that there was no plan yet to distribute gas in Fethiye. We found no later announcement of a start date. Ask how a home is heated rather than assuming gas is coming.
### Electricity, heat pumps and stoves
Without mains gas, homes are mostly heated with electricity: split air conditioners in heating mode (air-source heat pumps), electric heaters or underfloor heating. Some use wood or pellet stoves. Our air conditioning guide explains how to read the SCOP heating-efficiency figure and when to have a unit serviced before winter.
Running costs matter more from 2027. On 30 October 2026, the energy regulator EPDK cut the yearly household limit for the lower electricity tariff to 3,000 kWh from 1 January 2027, down from 4,000 kWh in 2026. Above that limit you pay the higher last-resort supply tariff. A large home heated by electricity all winter can pass that limit. See our report on the electricity subsidy limit cut.
Any heater that burns fuel, from a wood stove to a bottled-gas heater, needs a clear flue and good ventilation. Our combi boiler guide covers the warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning and when to call 112.
### Damp and mould
Homes built for summer can suffer from condensation when cold walls meet moist indoor air. UK government guidance and a heating manufacturer give similar advice:
- Open windows fully for 5 to 10 minutes at regular intervals, rather than leaving them tilted open all day.
- Use extractor fans or open a window when cooking or showering, and keep the door closed.
- Dry laundry outdoors where you can. Indoors, use a ventilated room with the door shut.
- Heat rooms steadily rather than in short bursts, and leave a gap between furniture and outside walls.
Damp that keeps coming back usually points to a building fault such as a leak or poor drainage. In a rental, report it to the landlord. Our renting guide explains how to deal with repairs.
What stays open
### Markets
The main Fethiye market is on Tuesday, under tents by the river behind the municipal stadium, and a smaller one runs on Friday. Hisarönü has a Monday market.
The Sunday market in Foça (Çalış) has run through recent winters, selling seasonal produce such as citrus, cabbages and homemade tarhana soup mix. In November 2026 the municipality began building a 6,000-square-metre canopy over it, so stalls have moved to the side streets for now. See our report on the Foça Sunday market works.
### Health and public services
Fethiye State Hospital has an emergency department, intensive care, dialysis and chemotherapy services, and Seydikemer has its own state hospital. Both work all year, as do the district’s on-duty pharmacies (nöbetçi eczane). Our healthcare guide for expats covers private hospitals and insurance.
The municipality and the water utility MUSKİ put extra crews on duty during storms. ADM Elektrik, the distribution company, publishes planned power cuts by district and neighbourhood on its website. In winter, outages can also follow storms, so keep a torch, a charged power bank and, if you rely on electric heating, some blankets.
### The resort villages
The resorts quieten sharply. In late October 2026, some Ölüdeniz businesses said they would close within about a week, after a season that ended earlier than they had hoped. A long-running local blog describes a similar pattern each year: large resort hotels close, many shops and restaurants in Ölüdeniz and Hisarönü shut until spring, and minibuses to the villages run less often. Fethiye town centre, the harbour and Çalış keep more places open. Check the MUTTAŞ timetables before relying on a bus. Our Ölüdeniz, Hisarönü and Ovacık guide covers year-round living there.
### Getting in and out
Most international routes to Dalaman Airport are seasonal. Domestic flights to Istanbul and Ankara continue in winter, while direct flights abroad are far fewer, so many residents travel via Istanbul. Our Dalaman Airport to Fethiye bus guide covers winter transfers.
Things to do
- Paragliding: flights from Babadağ continue in winter when the weather allows. Rain, strong wind, fog or snow can cancel them at short notice. In 2025, 194,613 people flew from the mountain, according to Anadolu Agency.
- Saklıkent Gorge: the gorge, about 50 km from Fethiye, is open all year, but the water is higher in winter and the deeper sections are out of reach. After April, once most of the mountain snow has melted, about 4 km can usually be walked. The gorge closes when it floods, as it did after the October 2025 rain.
- Walking: cooler weather suits hiking. See our Lycian Way hiking guide, and check the forecast before setting out, as paths and streams can flood.
Community life
Fethiye has had a sizeable foreign community for decades, mostly British. In winter, with the holidaymakers gone, residents’ own social life takes over. Sports, hobby and walking groups, Turkish lessons and charity events are mostly organised through Facebook groups and listed on local English-language news sites. Volunteer groups support local children, schools and street animals, and some help foreign residents through illness.
Groups change from year to year, so ask neighbours and check local listings when you arrive. Read each group’s rules before posting: many ban advertising.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How cold does Fethiye get in winter?
A: MGM averages show January highs of about 16°C and lows of about 5°C. Some mornings drop below freezing, and homes without insulation or heating can feel colder inside than out.
Q: Is there natural gas in Fethiye?
A: As far as we could find, not for homes, as of November 2026. A BOTAŞ main pipeline is being built through the region, but officials said in 2025 that there was no plan yet for distribution in Fethiye.
Q: Do the markets run in winter?
A: Yes. The Tuesday market and the Çalış (Foça) Sunday market run all year. The Sunday market is in the side streets while its roof is being built.
Q: Can you paraglide from Babadağ in winter?
A: Yes, on suitable days. Flights are often cancelled for rain, wind, fog or snow, so keep your dates flexible.
Q: Is Saklıkent Gorge open in winter?
A: The site is open all year, but high water limits how far you can walk, and the gorge closes during floods.
Thinking of buying in the area? Download our free property guide for a step-by-step checklist.
Sources
- Fethiye climate tables: MGM long-term averages (835.3 mm/yr, monthly rain, rainy days, highs/lows, sunshine) and NOAA 1991–2020 normals (843.4 mm, days ≥1 mm) (Wikipedia)
- Fethiye winter weather: monthly highs/lows, January wettest, cold mornings (Turkeys for Life)
- Fethiye news January 2026: sub-zero mornings and frost, snow in highlands, high winds; Çalış Sunday market stalls moved for resurfacing (Turkeys for Life)
- Fethiye news January 2024: snow on Babadağ, Çalış Sunday market winter produce (Turkeys for Life)
- Fethiye news November–December 2025: Çalış market square rebuilt, stalls moved (Turkeys for Life, 16 Dec 2025)
- Winter in Fethiye: resort hotels and most Ölüdeniz/Hisarönü shops close, town centre and weekly markets stay open, reduced dolmuş, wood burners (Turkeys for Life, Dec 2012)
- Fethiye’ye 2 saatte 130 kilogram yağış düştü (Fethiye TV, 3 Oct 2025)
- Fethiye Times News – week ending 5 October 2025: 130 kg/m² in two hours, Ölüdeniz hotels flooded, Saklıkent temporarily closed (Fethiye Times)
- Fethiye Times News – week ending 7 December 2025: MGM yellow rain warning, MUSKİ teams on 24/7 duty (Fethiye Times)
- Fethiye Municipality teams mobilised after severe storm (Fethiye Times, 19 Feb 2026)
- Muğla’da fırtına ve sağanak etkili oldu: sea reached Fethiye promenade, farmland and citrus orchards flooded (BirGün, 18 Feb 2026)
- Muğla sahili sular altında: Bodrum ve Fethiye’de taşkınlar (Yeni Asır, 18 Feb 2026)
- Sağanak yağış hayatı olumsuz etkiledi: Fethiye homes, workplaces, greenhouses flooded (Aydın Denge/İHA, 27 Oct 2026)
- Fethiye’de şiddetli yağış su baskını getirdi: Karagedik and Çiftlik, landslide on Çenger road (Yeni Asır/AA, 4 Nov 2026)
- Fethiye’de sağanak yağış sele yol açtı (Bodrum Gündem, 4 Nov 2026)
- Dalaman floods: AFAD boat rescues as Tersakan stream overflows; orange warning incl. Fethiye (Turkey Daily News, 28 Oct 2026)
- Fethiye’ye doğalgaz gelecek mi? 2025: BOTAŞ Elmalı–Ortaca main line, no distribution plan for Fethiye yet (Fethiye TV, 13 Mar 2025)
- Ortaca, Dalaman ve Fethiye’ye doğalgaz geliyor: presidential decision on urgent expropriation for pipeline, Official Gazette 2 Nov 2023 (Güneyege)
- EPDK elektrikte son kaynak tedarik tarifesi limitinde değişikliğe gitti: 3,000 kWh from 1 Jan 2027, 4,000 kWh in 2026 (Anadolu Agency, 30 Oct 2026)
- EPDK son kaynak tedarik tarifesinde limiti düşürdü (Bloomberg HT, 30 Oct 2026)
- Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home (UK government guidance)
- Küf önleme: short full ventilation 5–10 minutes, no tilted windows, humidity thresholds (Viessmann Türkiye)
- Fethiye market: Tuesday by the river behind the stadium, Friday; Çalış Sunday; Hisarönü Monday (Travel to Fethiye)
- Foça Sunday market roof works: 6,000 m² canopy, stalls moved to side streets (Turkey Daily News, 6 Nov 2026)
- Fethiye Devlet Hastanesi: emergency service, intensive care, dialysis, chemotherapy, on-duty pharmacies (Ministry of Health)
- Muğla public hospitals incl. Fethiye and Seydikemer state hospitals (Muğla Provincial Health Directorate)
- Muğla planned power cuts, 26 Oct 2026, ADM Elektrik, incl. Fethiye neighbourhoods (Yeni Asır)
- How to check planned power cuts in Muğla on the ADM/Aydem website (Voices Newspaper)
- Ölüdeniz’de turizm sezonu kapanışa hazırlanıyor: businesses to close within a week (Fethiye TV, 23 Oct 2026)
- Dalaman Airport: airlines and destinations, seasonal and year-round routes (Wikipedia)
- Bodrum, Dalaman, Antalya airports compared: Dalaman sees the biggest winter drop in flights (BiletBayisi)
- Fethiye’deki Babadağ’dan geçen yıl 194 bin 613 kişi yamaç paraşütüyle uçtu; region suitable for winter flying (Anadolu Agency, 26 Jan 2026)
- Babadağ paragliding FAQ: flights continue in winter, cancelled for snow, rain, wind or fog (operator FAQ)
- Saklıkent National Park: open all year, higher water in winter, about 4 km walkable after April, 50 km from Fethiye (Wikipedia)
- Saklıkent Gorge: open all year, closed during floods (Showcaves.com)
- For the love of Fethiye: thriving expat community finds its place (Daily Sabah, 15 Jan 2019)
- Where can I find information and support groups as an expat living in Turkey? Fethiye groups and charities (Daily Sabah, 31 Aug 2020)
Photo: Harald the Bard / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
