Asia Climate – August 2026 Update
Top 5 Countries: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Pakistan
Summary
Asia experienced widespread thermal stress in August, with the region recording a monthly temperature anomaly +1.79°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The intense heat triggered severe health impacts across East Asia, while catastrophic flash flooding along the Himalayan border claimed over 1,300 lives in one of the year's deadliest climate disasters. At the same time, the tropical Pacific continues to harbour a moderate El Niño forecast to peak at Very Strong in Aug-Oct. High temperatures and erratic rainfall are expected to persist across the continent through late autumn.
This month in numbers
Asia's latest 1-month anomaly reached +1.79°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, marking an exceptionally warm period for the continent. This sits alongside a 3-month anomaly of +1.81°C and a 12-month rolling anomaly of +1.84°C, underlining persistent, multi-season warmth. On the global stage, 12-month rolling rankings highlight Asia's long-term warming trend, with Central Asian members taking three of the top 10 positions worldwide: Tajikistan ranked 2nd warmest globally with +3.28°C, Kyrgyzstan ranked 7th with +3.00°C, and Uzbekistan ranked 9th with +2.92°C.
Hottest & coolest countries
The strongest monthly anomalies concentrated in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia () led the continent with an extreme departure of +3.42°C, followed closely by Iraq () at +3.18°C and the United Arab Emirates () at +3.04°C. Iran () also experienced severe heat at +2.78°C. Even the continent's coolest country, Thailand (), ran +0.94°C above average, demonstrating that heat stress remained pervasive across almost every region.
What's driving change?
The broader climate picture is heavily influenced by conditions in the tropical Pacific, where a moderate El Niño with a Relative Niño Index of +1.36°C is active at ENSO. Official forecasts indicate a 77% probability of this event intensifying into a Very Strong El Niño in late summer and early autumn, with a 100% chance of persisting through the upcoming winter. This atmospheric shift has combined with to disturb seasonal rainfall patterns, leaving dry soils prone to across arid zones, while generated persistent that trapped blistering temperatures over parts of East Asia.
Looking ahead
Seasonal models from major climate centres suggest that elevated temperatures and altered precipitation patterns will remain dominant across Asia through late autumn, driven by the intensifying ocean-atmosphere coupling in the Pacific Ocean.
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
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
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) - 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.🇸🇦Saudi Arabia+3.42°C
- 2.🇮🇶Iraq+3.18°C
- 3.🇦🇪United Arab Emirates+3.04°C
- 4.🇮🇷Iran+2.78°C
- 5.🇮🇱Israel+2.58°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.