Botswana Climate
Top 5 Cities: Gaborone, Francistown, Molepolole, Serowe, and Maun
This month in numbers
Botswana experienced an average April in terms of temperature, ranking 50th of 86 years on record with an anomaly of 0°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. However, the global land temperature for April 2026 was the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.1°C. The three-month period from February to April 2026 saw Botswana's temperature rank 38th of 86 years, with an anomaly of +0.2°C.
What changed
Botswana's temperatures for the latest three-month period (February–April 2026) were slightly above average, with an anomaly of +0.2°C. This places Botswana as the 233rd coolest out of 234 regions globally for this period, indicating a relatively cooler trend compared to most other areas worldwide. In contrast, the global land temperature for the same three-month period was the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.2°C. The country experienced significant rainfall and widespread flooding across central and northwestern areas between February and April 2026, with the Department of Meteorological Services forecasting above-average rainfall to continue into April.
What’s driving change?
The significant rainfall and widespread flooding experienced in Botswana between February and April 2026 were supported by a weak La Niña climate pattern, which typically brings wetter conditions to parts of Southern Africa. This has led to an exceptional flood year for the Okavango Delta, with both local rains and strong inflows from the Angolan highlands contributing to rising water levels and the expansion of floodplains. The increased rainfall has helped to alleviate drought conditions that had affected the region in previous years.
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC forecast indicates a high probability of El Niño developing between May and July 2026, with a very high chance of persistence through early 2027, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to Southern Africa, increasing the risk of drought.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Botswana
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 Botswana changing?
Botswana 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 Botswana come from?
Climate data for Botswana 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 Botswana climate data cover?
The Botswana climate profile covers Gaborone, Francistown, Molepolole, Serowe and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Botswana
How often is the Botswana climate update refreshed?
The Botswana 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.