Cambodia Climate – July 2026 Update
Summary
Cambodia experienced a remarkably warm July, capping off an unseasonably hot three-month stretch across the country. Higher-than-average temperatures coincided with growing concerns over a developing El Niño, prompting national authorities to prepare emergency measures for potential agricultural losses and water shortages. Across the planet, global land temperatures reached extraordinary levels, with hot and dry conditions expected to persist over the coming months.
This month in numbers
The average temperature in Cambodia reached 27.64°C during July 2026, standing 0.8°C above the 1961-1990 baseline. This ranked as the 10th warmest July in 87 years of records dating back to 1940. Over the three-month stretch from May through July, the country recorded an average temperature of 28.67°C, which is 1.4°C above baseline and stands as the 7th warmest such period on record. On a global scale, land temperatures reached historic highs. Global land temperature in July 2026 reached 15.8°C, an anomaly of +1.6°C, making it the 3rd warmest recorded for the month. The three-month global land temperature from May through July averaged 14.34°C (+1.5°C anomaly), marking the 2nd warmest such period on record.
What changed
Cambodia's three-month temperature anomaly of +1.4°C reflects a broader warming trend that has seen the country heat up by +1.10°C over the long term compared to the late twentieth-century baseline. In cross-region rankings, Cambodia ranked 208th out of 232 regions globally for its single-month anomaly, as temperate zones in Europe experienced far higher relative heat spikes. However, over the three-month window, Cambodia ranked 109th globally, illustrating sustained atmospheric heat following its warmest year on record in 2024 when temperatures averaged 28.32°C.
What’s driving change?
The elevated heat across Southeast Asia is heavily influenced by ENSO, as developing El Niño conditions alter atmospheric circulation across the tropical Pacific. This interaction frequently causes , delaying seasonal rains and allowing intense heat to build over the Mekong region. All of Cambodia's 1 drought this year has happened in the past month, tracked on our live map at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal outlooks indicate that strengthening El Niño conditions will likely sustain warmer-than-average temperatures and erratic rainfall across Cambodia over the next 1-3 months.
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.
Typical Climate – Cambodia
Köppen Aw · TropicalCambodia has a tropical climate (Köppen Aw: Tropical savanna (dry winter)), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. April is typically the warmest month, averaging 29.8°C, while December is the coldest at 26.0°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1876mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly precipitation.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Cambodia
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Cambodia
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Cambodia
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Cambodia
Latest month is provisional and may be revised by the data provider in the next update cycle.
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – Cambodia
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Aw · TropicalCambodia doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 3.6°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 31× as much rain as the driest). So we track how the wet season has shifted instead.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Aug (-40 mm, -13%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Cambodia
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.
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 Cambodia changing?
Cambodia 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.
What is the climate like in Cambodia?
Cambodia has a tropical climate (Köppen Aw: Tropical savanna (dry winter)), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. April is typically the warmest month, averaging 29.8°C, while December is the coldest at 26.0°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1876mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Cambodia come from?
Climate data for Cambodia 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 Cambodia climate data cover?
Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Cambodia Cambodia climate profile with temperature anomalies, precipitation (GPCC), warm/wet-season shift analysis, CO₂ emissions (Our World in Data) and electricity generation mix — all vs the 1961–1990 baseline..
How often is the Cambodia climate update refreshed?
The Cambodia 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 Cambodia 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 Cambodia 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.