Central African Republic Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Bangui, Bimbo, Mbaïki, Berbérati, and Kaga-Bandoro
Summary
Central African Republic experienced one of its warmest Julys on record, fitting into a broader period of heightened heat across central Africa. Both the individual month and the May-July period ranked as the 5th warmest in 87 years of records, mirroring unusually high global land temperatures. Unseasonably warm conditions are expected to persist across the region through late summer and into autumn.
This month in numbers
July 2026 recorded an average temperature of 25.26°C, sitting 1.3°C above the 1961-1990 baseline and marking the 5th warmest July since records began in 1940. Over the three-month period from May to July 2026, temperatures averaged 26.28°C, also running 1.3°C above normal to rank as the 5th warmest May-July season on record. On the global stage, July land temperatures reached 15.8°C (+1.6°C anomaly), the 3rd highest ever recorded, while the global May-July average ranked as the 2nd warmest in history.
What changed
The consecutive high rankings illustrate a consistent warming trend throughout 2026, with every month from February through July recording anomalies between +0.7°C and +1.6°C above average. Although July is typically the coolest month of the year with a historic average of 24.0°C, temperatures remained unusually elevated. This extended warmth builds on the long-term trend in Central African Republic, where temperatures have risen by +1.27°C since the 1961-1990 baseline and 2025 ranked as the 4th warmest year on record at an average of 26.66°C.
What’s driving change?
Central African Republic's sustained heat reflects broad climate mechanisms, where regions across interior Africa. Seasonal climate behaviour during the mid-year rainy period is heavily impacted by , which alters precipitation patterns and reduces cloud cover over the Congo Basin. On a local level, environmental pressures such as reduce natural evaporative cooling, further elevating ambient temperatures.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate outlooks indicate that above-average temperatures are likely to continue across Central Africa through late summer and into autumn as the wet season continues.
Sources:
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 – Central African Republic
Köppen As · TropicalCentral African Republic has a tropical climate (Köppen As: Tropical savanna (dry summer)), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. March is typically the warmest month, averaging 29.5°C, while August is the coldest at 24.4°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1412mm, 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 – Central African Republic
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 – Central African Republic
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 – Central African Republic
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Central African Republic
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 – Central African Republic
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Aw · TropicalCentral African Republic doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 4.0°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 19× 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: Jul (+50 mm, +30%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Central African Republic
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 Central African Republic changing?
Central African Republic 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 Central African Republic?
Central African Republic has a tropical climate (Köppen As: Tropical savanna (dry summer)), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. March is typically the warmest month, averaging 29.5°C, while August is the coldest at 24.4°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1412mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Central African Republic come from?
Climate data for Central African Republic 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 Central African Republic climate data cover?
The Central African Republic climate profile covers Bangui, Bimbo, Mbaïki, Berbérati and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Central African Republic
How often is the Central African Republic climate update refreshed?
The Central African Republic 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 Central African Republic 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 Central African Republic 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.