Congo Climate
Top 5 Cities: Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Dolisie, Nkayi, and Owando
This month in numbers
Congo experienced its 9th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 26°C, marking an anomaly of +1.1°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was the 7th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 26.19°C, an anomaly of +1.4°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, while the February–April period also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
The past three months have seen Congo continue its warming trend, with the February–April 2026 period being significantly warmer than average. This aligns with the long-term trend for the region, which has seen an increase of +1.28°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Congo's 1-month anomaly of +1.1°C places it 169th out of 234 regions globally, while its 3-month anomaly of +1.36°C ranks it 140th. Within the Africa group, Congo's latest monthly anomaly was 0.28°C cooler than the group average.
What’s driving change?
The warming trend in Congo is influenced by the broader global climate patterns, including the ongoing impact of ENSO. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, though there is a strong forecast for a transition to El Niño conditions in the coming months, with a 61% chance by May-Jul and increasing to 87% by Jul-Sep. El Niño typically brings drier conditions to parts of Central Africa.
Congo has also experienced several extreme weather events recently, with a notable concentration of drought, wildfire, and flood events over the past month. A drought event, active since December 2025, represents 100% of the drought events logged for Congo over the past 12 months, indicating an unusual concentration. Similarly, a wildfire event and a flood event in early May each represent 100% of their respective annual totals, highlighting an active period for extreme weather. Heavy and persistent rainfall since March 2026 led to severe flooding, particularly in Maniema Province, with the Congo River overflowing its banks on April 7, 2026, causing widespread inundation and displacing thousands. These events can be tracked further at Extreme Weather tracker. also plays a role in local warming and altered rainfall patterns.
Looking ahead
The strong forecast for an evolving El Niño phase in the coming months suggests a potential for continued shifts in rainfall and temperature patterns across the region.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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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.
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 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 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.