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 a +1.1°C anomaly, and the February–April period also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally, with a +1.2°C anomaly.
What changed
The past three months have seen significantly elevated temperatures across El Salvador, placing the region among the warmest globally. El Salvador's 3-month anomaly of +1.7°C ranks it 111th out of 234 regions for warmth. This warming trend aligns with the broader global picture, as both global land temperatures for April and the February–April period also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record.
What’s driving change?
The current climate in El Salvador is being significantly influenced by the evolving ENSO state. While the NOAA ONI for February-April 2026 indicated Neutral conditions, forecasts show a strong likelihood of El Niño emerging from May–July 2026, with a 61% chance, and persisting through at least the end of the year. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to Mexico and Central America, increasing the risk of drought during the rainy season, which can lead to crop and water-supply stress, particularly in the Central American Dry Corridor. Humanitarian partners have already activated anticipatory actions for drought in the Central America Dry Corridor, including El Salvador, due to low rainfall forecasts and high temperatures.
Looking ahead
With El Niño conditions likely to emerge and persist through the end of the year, El Salvador can anticipate a continued risk of warmer and drier conditions in the coming months, potentially exacerbating drought concerns.
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.