DR Congo Climate
Top 5 Cities: Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Mbuji-Mayi, Kisangani, and Goma
This month in numbers
The Democratic Republic of Congo experienced its 6th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 24.91°C, marking an anomaly of +1.3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures.
What changed
The period of February–April 2026 was the 3rd warmest on record for DR Congo, with an average temperature of 25.49°C, a significant +1.9°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This warming trend in DR Congo aligns with the broader global picture, as global land temperatures for the same three-month period also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. The country's 1-month anomaly for April was 0.10°C cooler than the overall Africa group average.
What’s driving change?
The elevated temperatures in DR Congo are influenced by the ongoing climate change trend, with the country experiencing a long-term warming trend of +1.50°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, though El Niño is likely to emerge in the coming months, which typically brings drier conditions to southern Africa and wetter conditions to parts of East Africa. The region has also faced significant extreme weather events, with widespread flooding reported across several provinces. Since March 2026, heavy and persistent rainfall has led to severe flooding, with the Congo River overflowing its banks in April, particularly impacting Maniema and Tshopo provinces. Earlier in February, severe flooding also struck Fungurume in Lualaba Province, affecting over 3200 people and exacerbating an ongoing cholera outbreak. Central and western parts of DR Congo have also experienced dryness during this period.
Looking ahead
El Niño is likely to emerge by May–July 2026 with a 61% chance, and is expected to persist through at least the end of 2026, which could influence rainfall patterns across the region.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for DR 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 DR Congo changing?
DR 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 DR Congo come from?
Climate data for DR 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 DR Congo climate data cover?
The DR Congo climate profile covers Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Mbuji-Mayi, Kisangani and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for DR Congo
How often is the DR Congo climate update refreshed?
The DR 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.