Asia Climate – May 2026 Update
Top 5 Countries: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Pakistan
This month in numbers
Asia experienced a significantly warmer May 2026, with a 1-month temperature anomaly of +1.60°C above the 1961–1990 average. The 3-month anomaly stood at +2.20°C, while the 12-month rolling anomaly reached +1.79°C. Globally, May 2026 was the second-warmest May on record, with Asia ranking as the fifth-warmest continent.
Hottest & coolest countries
Several Asian countries experienced exceptionally high temperatures in May. Iran climate page led the continent with a striking anomaly of +4.37°C, followed by Iraq climate page at +3.51°C and Syria climate page at +3.15°C. In contrast, India climate page recorded a cooler anomaly of -0.97°C, while Myanmar climate page was also slightly cooler than average at -0.10°C.
What's driving change?
The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a +0.48°C anomaly in the Niño 3.4 region for March-May 2026. However, a rapid transition to El Niño is strongly forecast, with an 82% probability for May-July 2026 and increasing to 98% by August-October 2026. This developing El Niño ENSO tracker is a significant factor, contributing to the widespread warming across Asia. The region has also been grappling with extreme heatwaves, particularly in South Asia. From mid-April through May 2026, India and Pakistan experienced a deadly heatwave with daily maximum temperatures exceeding 46°C in many cities, a phenomenon made three times more likely by human-induced climate change. China also faced a range of extreme weather events in May, including record-breaking heatwaves, severe floods, and sandstorms, with the national average temperature for May being 0.6°C higher than previous years. The warming trend is further exacerbated by the effect and , which can lead to more erratic rainfall patterns and extended dry-season heat.
Looking ahead
The strong likelihood of El Niño developing and persisting through the end of the year suggests a continued risk of elevated temperatures and altered rainfall patterns across Asia in the coming months.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Temperature – Average
The 4byo Climate Helix – Asia
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS).
Asia – Monthly Temperature – All Years
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS).
Records – Asia
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS).
Shifting Seasons
Warm / cold seasonsKöppen Cfa · TemperateHow spring and autumn have shifted in Asia. Spring is defined as the date monthly temperatures first rise above the long-term annual mean (19.3°C, from 1941–1970); autumn is the date they fall back below it. Temperature swings 15.3°C peak-to-peak across the year - a classic four-seasons rhythm.
Baseline vs recent monthly temperature climatology. Biggest warming: Mar (+1.9°C).
4byo continent aggregate · OWID/CRU TS country monthly temperatures & rainfall. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Climate Systems
Loading ENSO tracker…
Explore Countries on this Continent
This page shows the NOAA continental series. To browse country-level pages within Asia, use the countries tab on the Climate Updates hub and filter by continent.
Open Climate Updates → CountriesHottest & Coolest in Asia this Month
1-month anomaly vs 1961–1990 across the 23 members we cover. Click a name to open its profile.
Warmest
- 1.🇮🇷Iran+4.37°C
- 2.🇮🇶Iraq+3.51°C
- 3.🇸🇾Syria+3.15°C
- 4.🇱🇧Lebanon+2.79°C
- 5.🇦🇪United Arab Emirates+2.54°C
Coolest
- 1.🇮🇳India-0.97°C
- 2.🇲🇲Myanmar-0.10°C
- 3.🇰🇷South Korea-0.02°C
- 4.🇰🇵North Korea+0.24°C
- 5.🇹🇭Thailand+0.32°C
Data Sources
- NOAA Climate at a Glance — continental land temperature · Open at NOAA
- Two-baseline model — comparison baseline 1961–1990; native baseline 1901-2000. Methodology →
Data Sources
Data Sources for Asia
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 Asia changing?
Asia 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 headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Asia come from?
Climate data for Asia comes from authoritative climate datasets including national meteorological services and peer-reviewed reanalyses, 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 Asia climate data cover?
The Asia climate profile covers China, India, Indonesia, Japan and surrounding areas. The world's largest landmass - temperature trends across the continent
How often is the Asia climate update refreshed?
The Asia 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.