Albania Climate
Top 5 Cities: Tirana, Durrës, Vlorë, Shkodër, and Fier
This month in numbers
Albania experienced a significantly warmer start to the year, with the February–April 2026 period ranking as the 9th warmest on record in 86 years, at an average temperature of 9.01°C, an anomaly of +1.8°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. April 2026 itself was also notably warm, ranking 18th warmest with an average of 11.82°C, which is +1.2°C above the baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, at 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C. The February–April 2026 period also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
The past three months in Albania have continued a trend of warmer-than-average conditions, placing the country 101st out of 234 regions for its 3-month temperature anomaly. This follows 2025 being the warmest year on record for Albania, with an average temperature of 14.44°C. The country's long-term trend shows a warming of +1.46°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline.
What’s driving change?
The current climate patterns are influenced by a Neutral ENSO state, with the NOAA ONI 3-month (February-April 2026) showing an anomaly of +0.11°C. However, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of an El Niño developing by May-July 2026, with probabilities increasing to 87% by July-September 2026. This shift to El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Balkan region. The () was in a positive phase in March 2026, with a value of 2.69, having been negative in the preceding months. This can influence weather patterns across Europe. Albania has also faced significant challenges from heavy rainfall in February and March, leading to landslides and infrastructure damage, with the south of the country experiencing disruptions to trade with Greece. These events highlight Albania's vulnerability to climate risks, which are exacerbated by factors such as low-quality infrastructure and environmental degradation.
Looking ahead
Seasonal outlooks suggest that land surface temperatures are expected to be above-normal nearly everywhere for the May-June-July season, with a strong signal over Europe and Northern Africa.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Albania
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Albania changing?
Albania is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Albania come from?
Climate data for Albania comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Albania climate data cover?
The Albania climate profile covers Tirana, Durrës, Vlorë, Shkodër and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Albania
How often is the Albania climate update refreshed?
The Albania climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.