El Salvador Climate
Top 5 Cities: San Salvador, Soyapango, Santa Ana, San Miguel, and Mejicanos
This month in numbers
El Salvador experienced its 8th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 28.11°C, an anomaly of +1.2°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The period of February–April 2026 was the 2nd warmest on record for El Salvador, with an average temperature of 27.89°C, an anomaly of +1.7°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C. The global land temperature for February–April 2026 also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
The past three months (February–April 2026) in El Salvador were exceptionally warm, ranking as the 2nd warmest such period in 86 years of records. This trend aligns with a broader pattern of warming, as the country's latest full-year average temperature in 2025 was the 3rd warmest on record. The long-term trend for El Salvador shows a warming of +1.28°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Regionally, nine of the top ten warmest 3-month anomalies globally were US states, indicating a striking concentration of heat in North America.
What’s driving change?
The significant warming observed in El Salvador is largely influenced by the evolving El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. While the current state for February-April 2026 remains Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, with an 82% probability for May–July and increasing to 98% by August–October. Historically, El Niño conditions in Mexico and Central America are associated with warmer and drier conditions, increasing the risk of drought during the rainy season (May-October) and leading to crop and water-supply stress, particularly in the Central American Dry Corridor. El Salvador has already experienced irregular and below-average rainfall in early 2026, following an erratic 2025 season, leading to localized soil moisture deficits. The government of El Salvador has launched a comprehensive climate contingency plan, including a nationwide yellow alert banning agricultural burning, in anticipation of prolonged droughts and heatwaves.
Looking ahead
With an 82% probability of El Niño developing in May–July and increasing further in subsequent months, El Salvador should anticipate warmer and drier conditions, potentially leading to drought risk during the upcoming rainy season.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for El Salvador
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 El Salvador changing?
El Salvador 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 El Salvador come from?
Climate data for El Salvador 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 El Salvador climate data cover?
The El Salvador climate profile covers San Salvador, Soyapango, Santa Ana, San Miguel and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for El Salvador
How often is the El Salvador climate update refreshed?
The El Salvador 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.