Belize Climate
Top 5 Cities: Belize City, San Ignacio, Belmopan, Orange Walk, and Dangriga
This month in numbers
Belize experienced an April 2026 average temperature of 26.16°C, marking an anomaly of +0.5°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranks as the 38th warmest April in 86 years of record-keeping. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The three-month period from February to April 2026 saw an average temperature of 25.59°C, an anomaly of +1.3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 11th warmest such period in 86 years. This continues a trend of warmer-than-average conditions, with 2025 being the warmest year on record for Belize at 26.66°C. Belize's long-term warming trend stands at +1.51°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. For the latest month, Belize ranked 217th out of 234 regions for its temperature anomaly, indicating that while warmer, it was not among the most extreme globally.
What’s driving change?
Belize is currently in a Neutral ENSO phase, with a +0.11°C anomaly in the NOAA ONI 3-month (FMA 2026). However, there is a strong likelihood of El Niño developing by July, with probabilities reaching 87% by July-September. This transition to El Niño conditions is often associated with more frequent and severe drought events in the region, particularly affecting rain-fed agriculture. Indeed, a drought watch is currently in effect for the northern half of Belize through May 2026, with a drought warning for the Toledo District and a drought watch for Corozal, Orange Walk, and Stann Creek Districts for long-term drought. In February 2026, Belize experienced unusually chilly mornings due to an Arctic blast, bringing cooler temperatures and brisk winds to Central America. This was a temporary shift, as the country has since returned to seasonably warm and dry conditions. The National Meteorological Service of Belize has also been actively engaged in hurricane preparedness, hosting a storm surge workshop in April 2026 to enhance forecasting and response capabilities for the upcoming hurricane season, which officially begins on June 1.
Looking ahead
The forecast indicates a high probability of El Niño conditions developing by July, which typically brings drier and warmer conditions to Belize in the coming months.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
Data Sources
Data Sources for Belize
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 Belize changing?
Belize 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 Belize come from?
Climate data for Belize 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 Belize climate data cover?
The Belize climate profile covers Belize City, San Ignacio, Belmopan, Orange Walk and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Belize
How often is the Belize climate update refreshed?
The Belize 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.