Asia Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Countries: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Pakistan
Summary
Asia experienced widespread, exceptional heat across much of the continent, driven by average temperatures nearly two degrees Celsius above the long-term baseline. Record-breaking summer heatwaves swept across East Asia, pushing temperatures to an unprecedented 42.5°C in South Korea, causing dozens of heat-related fatalities and thousands of hospitalisations. The continent-wide warmth coincided with a moderate El Niño forecast to peak at Very Strong in Oct-Dec, which is altering monsoon patterns while tropical downpours brought flooding to parts of China and South Asia. Atmospheric forecasts indicate that elevated warmth and erratic precipitation will persist across large parts of the continent over the coming months.
This month in numbers
Asia recorded a 1-month temperature anomaly of +1.89°C above the 1961-1990 baseline, continuing a sustained spell of elevated warmth. Over the latest 3-month period, the continental departure stood at +1.77°C, while the 12-month rolling anomaly reached +1.83°C above historical norms. Across global cross-region rankings, Asia exhibits strong long-term warming, with 3 Central Asian member states ranking among the top 10 warmest territories on Earth over the past 12 months.
Hottest & coolest countries
South Korea led the continent with a 1-month anomaly of +2.55°C above the baseline, followed closely by Saudi Arabia at +2.40°C and North Korea at +2.31°C. Japan and China also recorded marked warmth, registering departures of +2.08°C and +2.04°C respectively. Conversely, Southeast Asian nations experienced milder conditions, with Vietnam recording the lowest departure on the continent at +0.69°C.
What's driving change?
The tropical Pacific is in a moderate El Niño state with a 3-month Relative Niño Index anomaly of +0.98°C at ENSO, which is 81% probable to reach Very Strong intensity in Oct-Dec. This ocean pattern is driving across Asia, making seasonal rainfall erratic and intensifying heat in drier subregions. In addition, persistent high-pressure systems created strong over East Asia, trapping scorching air over the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Meanwhile, intense monsoon downpours triggered severe surface flooding, including an Orange-level flood in China tracked on our live map at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Multi-week seasonal forecasts indicate that above-average temperatures and heightened rainfall variability are likely to persist across East and South Asia over the next 1-3 months as El Niño continues to develop.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Asia
Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS); precipitation: GPCC (DWD).
Heatwave Days – Asia
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year. Equal-weight mean across 23 countries.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived), aggregated by 4BYO across member countries. Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Hottest & 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.🇰🇷South Korea+2.55°C
- 2.🇸🇦Saudi Arabia+2.40°C
- 3.🇰🇵North Korea+2.31°C
- 4.🇮🇷Iran+2.26°C
- 5.🇯🇵Japan+2.08°C
Coolest
- 1.🇻🇳Vietnam+0.69°C
- 2.🇹🇭Thailand+0.71°C
- 3.🇲🇲Myanmar+0.73°C
- 4.🇧🇩Bangladesh+0.95°C
- 5.🇮🇳India+1.10°C
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Asia
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS); precipitation: GPCC (DWD).
Monthly Temperature – Asia
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS); precipitation: GPCC (DWD).
Records – Asia
4byo continent aggregate · equal-weight mean of member country monthly absolute temperatures (OWID/CRU TS); precipitation: GPCC (DWD). - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
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 (15.2°C, from 1940–1969); autumn is the date they fall back below it. Temperature swings 19.2°C peak-to-peak across the year - a classic four-seasons rhythm.
Baseline vs recent monthly temperature climatology. Biggest warming: Mar (+2.1°C).
4byo continent aggregate · OWID/CRU TS country monthly temperatures & precipitation: GPCC (DWD). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Climate Systems
Loading ENSO tracker…
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
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.
Continental land temperature anomaly. NOAA NCEI national & continental time series.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
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 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 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.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Asia climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Asia climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.