Cote d'Ivoire Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Abidjan, Bouaké, Daloa, Yamoussoukro, and San-Pédro
Summary
A swollen West African rainy season brought tragic consequences to Côte d'Ivoire, where torrential downpours triggered fatal floods and landslides in Abidjan that claimed 59 lives. Alongside the heavy precipitation, temperatures across the nation surged to an average of 25.52°C, making it the 5th warmest July in 87 years of records. The elevated warmth reflects a broader global pattern that saw planet-wide land temperatures reach their 3rd highest July level on record, with above-average warmth expected to persist into autumn.
This month in numbers
The nation recorded an average temperature of 25.52°C, which sits 1.1°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. That places the period as the 5th warmest July since records began in 1940, falling short of the all-time monthly record of 26.01°C set in 2023. Over the three-month window from May to July 2026, temperatures averaged 26.33°C (0.9°C above baseline), ranking as the 9th warmest such period on record. Globally, land temperatures reached 15.8°C, marking the 3rd warmest July on record across the globe.
What changed
The persistent warmth continues a multi-year warming trend across Côte d'Ivoire, where the long-term temperature average has risen by 1.06°C relative to the late 20th century baseline. Last year was the 7th warmest year on record at 26.78°C, while 2024 remains the hottest full year ever recorded at 27.14°C. While tropical West Africa saw less extreme thermal anomalies than regions in Europe or North Africa, consistently warm months from February through July have kept local baseline temperatures elevated well above historical norms.
What’s driving change?
Regional warming and severe monsoon rainfall are increasingly tied to atmospheric shifts over the Atlantic Ocean. A key factor is , where warmer tropical air holds more moisture and fuels short, exceptionally intense downpours during the West African monsoon season. Simultaneously, , creating sharper thermal contrasts between the Gulf of Guinea and the West African interior that can intensify convective storm activity. Dense informal housing in major cities like Abidjan further amplifies local flood vulnerability during intense rainfall episodes. While these local floods did not register as satellite-tracked extreme weather events on our live map, severe wildfires in Angola are currently monitored at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts suggest that above-average temperatures across Côte d'Ivoire will likely persist through late summer and into autumn as the main monsoon rains subside.
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 – Cote d'Ivoire
Köppen Aw · TropicalCote d'Ivoire 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 28.7°C, while August is the coldest at 25.0°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1235mm, 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 – Cote d'Ivoire
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 – Cote d'Ivoire
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 – Cote d'Ivoire
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Cote d'Ivoire
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 – Cote d'Ivoire
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Aw · TropicalCote d'Ivoire doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 3.5°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 11× 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: May (-65 mm, -33%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Cote d'Ivoire
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 Cote d'Ivoire changing?
Cote d'Ivoire 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 Cote d'Ivoire?
Cote d'Ivoire 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 28.7°C, while August is the coldest at 25.0°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1235mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Cote d'Ivoire come from?
Climate data for Cote d'Ivoire 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 Cote d'Ivoire climate data cover?
The Cote d'Ivoire climate profile covers Abidjan, Bouaké, Daloa, Yamoussoukro and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Cote d'Ivoire
How often is the Cote d'Ivoire climate update refreshed?
The Cote d'Ivoire 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 Cote d'Ivoire 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 Cote d'Ivoire 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.