Burkina Faso Climate
Top 5 Cities: Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Koudougou, Ouahigouya, and Banfora
This month in numbers
Burkina Faso experienced its 5th warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 33.73°C, marking an anomaly of +1.8°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The period of February to April 2026 was the 4th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 32.07°C, an anomaly of +2.1°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The past three months (February–April 2026) in Burkina Faso have been significantly warmer than average, continuing a trend of elevated temperatures. This regional warming aligns with the broader global picture, as global land temperatures for the same three-month period also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. Burkina Faso's 1-month anomaly for April placed it 122nd out of 234 regions globally, while its 3-month anomaly ranked 87th.
What’s driving change?
The elevated temperatures in Burkina Faso are consistent with the long-term trend of , particularly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The Sahel region, where Burkina Faso is located, is also highly vulnerable to , which can lead to erratic rainfall patterns and extended dry-season heat. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly in the NOAA ONI 3-month (FMA 2026) ENSO tracker. However, forecasts indicate a 61% chance of El Niño developing by May-Jul and a 79% chance by June-Aug, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Sahel, potentially impacting the West African monsoon and cereal yields. Burkina Faso has also been grappling with a severe water crisis, exacerbated by aging infrastructure and climate pressure, leading to daily water shortages in urban areas and increased flood risk from sediment-filled dams. Recent reports also highlight that extreme heatwaves in the Sahel, like those experienced in March and April 2024, would have been impossible without human-caused climate change.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Burkina Faso
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 Burkina Faso changing?
Burkina Faso 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 Burkina Faso come from?
Climate data for Burkina Faso 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 Burkina Faso climate data cover?
The Burkina Faso climate profile covers Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Koudougou, Ouahigouya and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Burkina Faso
How often is the Burkina Faso climate update refreshed?
The Burkina Faso 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.