Eritrea Climate
Top 5 Cities: Asmara, Keren, Sawa, Massawa, and Assab
This month in numbers
Eritrea experienced its 2nd warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 29.53°C, marking an anomaly of +2.1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The period of February–April 2026 was the 4th warmest on record for the country, with an average temperature of 26.87°C, an anomaly of +1.4°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, and the February–April period was also the 2nd warmest for global land temperatures.
What changed
Eritrea's consistently warmer-than-average temperatures over the past three months align with a broader trend of warming across the Greater Horn of Africa. The country's 12-month rolling anomaly places it 164th out of 234 regions globally, indicating a significant, but not extreme, deviation from its long-term average. The region has been experiencing long-term drought conditions, with western Eritrea facing persistent shortfalls in rainfall.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth in Eritrea is influenced by the broader trend of land warming faster than ocean, a global phenomenon where land surfaces heat up at a quicker rate than oceans. Eritrea has also been grappling with long-term drought conditions, with the Bahri rainy season failing in late 2025 and rainfall in November and December being approximately 80% below the long-term average in affected areas. This contributes to higher temperatures as the land is unable to cool itself through evaporation. The humanitarian consequences of five years of drought are still unfolding across East Africa.
Looking ahead
The Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF) predicts a high likelihood of below-normal rainfall across much of the northern Greater Horn of Africa, including Eritrea, during the critical June-September rainy season.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Eritrea
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 Eritrea changing?
Eritrea 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 Eritrea come from?
Climate data for Eritrea 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 Eritrea climate data cover?
The Eritrea climate profile covers Asmara, Keren, Sawa, Massawa and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Eritrea
How often is the Eritrea climate update refreshed?
The Eritrea 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.