Cameroon Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Yaoundé, Douala, Garoua, Kousséri, and Bafoussam
Summary
Cameroon experienced an exceptionally warm month as temperatures climbed well above long-term averages across the nation. The surge in heat formed part of an extended period of elevated temperatures across Central Africa, combining with erratic tropical rainfall patterns that heightened flood risks along the coast while intensifying heat inland. Unusually warm conditions are expected to persist across the region over the coming months.
This month in numbers
July 2026 recorded an average temperature of 24.04°C, sitting 1.4°C above the 1961-1990 historic baseline. That made it the 3rd warmest July in 87 years of continuous records, trailing only the record set in 2023. The heat was felt throughout the season, as the May to July period delivered a mean temperature of 24.87°C, an anomaly of +1.2°C that also ranked as the 3rd warmest corresponding period on record.
What changed
The three-month average of 24.87°C underlines a broader pattern of persistent heat across Central Africa. Globally, land surface temperatures for the month ranked 3rd warmest on record with a 1.6°C anomaly, while the global May to July average finished 2nd warmest at 1.5°C above baseline. In Cameroon, all five of the warmest years in 87 years of records have occurred since 2020. The year 2025 was the 2nd warmest full year on record at 25.21°C, just behind 2024, contributing to an overall warming trend of +1.20°C above historical baselines.
What’s driving change?
Regional thermal trends are primarily driven by , as shifting tropical wind patterns disrupt typical cloud cover and rainfall distribution across West and Central Africa. Additionally, dynamics mean that inland West Africa absorbs solar radiation more rapidly than adjacent marine basins, magnifying local surface heating. While localized extreme weather events in Cameroon did not match the scale of large disasters tracked elsewhere, such as the 29 wildfires in Angola logged on our live tracker at Extreme Weather tracker, intense local downpours and oppressive heat continue to strain communities.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate outlooks indicate that elevated temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns are likely to continue across Central Africa 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 – Cameroon
Köppen Aw · TropicalCameroon 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. March is typically the warmest month, averaging 27.3°C, while August is the coldest at 23.6°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1527mm, 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 – Cameroon
Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Cameroon
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: 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 – Cameroon
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Cameroon
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 – Cameroon
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Aw · TropicalCameroon doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 3.2°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 10× 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, -17%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Cameroon
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 Cameroon changing?
Cameroon 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 Cameroon?
Cameroon 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. March is typically the warmest month, averaging 27.3°C, while August is the coldest at 23.6°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1527mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Cameroon come from?
Climate data for Cameroon 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 Cameroon climate data cover?
The Cameroon climate profile covers Yaoundé, Douala, Garoua, Kousséri and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Cameroon
How often is the Cameroon climate update refreshed?
The Cameroon 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 Cameroon 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 Cameroon 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.