Congo Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Dolisie, Nkayi, and Owando
Summary
Congo experienced its 4th warmest May to July on record, driven by a persistent streak of elevated tropical heat. The rising temperatures coincided with a sharp surge in fire activity, as all of Congo's 10 wildfires this year happened in the past month. Across the wider globe, land temperatures during the May to July window ranked as the 2nd warmest ever recorded. Warm conditions are expected to persist across Central Africa in the coming months.
This month in numbers
In July 2026, Congo recorded an average temperature of 24.32°C, which sits +1.3°C above the 1961-1990 baseline. This made it the 6th warmest occurrence of the month in 87 years of record-keeping, remaining below the record 24.67°C observed in 2024. Globally, land temperatures in July 2026 averaged 15.8°C (+1.6°C above baseline), ranking as the 3rd warmest on record worldwide.
What changed
Over the broader three-month period from May to July 2026, Congo averaged 25.04°C (+1.3°C anomaly), marking its 4th warmest May-July on record. This sits within a broader long-term warming trend of +1.29°C for the country. The prior full year of 2025 recorded an average temperature of 25.3°C, the 6th warmest year on record, following the all-time high of 25.83°C set in 2024. Dry conditions also stood out earlier in the season, with May 2026 delivering just 58.7mm of precipitation, making it the 135th wettest out of 136 years.
What’s driving change?
Warming across the region is strongly amplified by , which degrades natural forest canopy cooling, alongside , where moisture-depleted soils accelerate localised heating. Seasonal rainfall shifts linked to have further stressed vegetation across Central Africa. All of Congo's 10 wildfires this year happened in the past month. Active fire outbreaks in the country are monitored on our live tracker at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate forecasts indicate that above-average temperatures will likely persist across Central Africa over the coming 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 – Congo
Köppen Am · TropicalCongo has a tropical climate (Köppen Am: Tropical monsoon), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. March is typically the warmest month, averaging 26.3°C, while July is the coldest at 24.1°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1614mm, 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 – Congo
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 – Congo
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 – Congo
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Congo
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 – Congo
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Am · TropicalCongo doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 1.1°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 5× 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: Oct (+51 mm, +32%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Congo
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 Congo changing?
Congo 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 Congo?
Congo has a tropical climate (Köppen Am: Tropical monsoon), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. March is typically the warmest month, averaging 26.3°C, while July is the coldest at 24.1°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1614mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Congo come from?
Climate data for Congo 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 Congo climate data cover?
The Congo climate profile covers Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Dolisie, Nkayi and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Congo
How often is the Congo climate update refreshed?
The Congo 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 Congo 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 Congo 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.