Ethiopia Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Mekelle, Adama, and Gondar
This month in numbers
Ethiopia experienced its 2nd warmest June on record, with an average temperature of 24.97°C, a significant 2°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The period of April to June 2026 also ranked as the 3rd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.9°C. Globally, June 2026 was the 3rd warmest June for land temperatures, while the April-June period ranked as the 2nd warmest globally.
What changed
The consistent warmth in Ethiopia this past month and season stands out, with June's average temperature being 2°C above the historical average. This trend is part of a broader pattern, as the country's latest full-year average temperature in 2025 was 24.3°C, marking it as the warmest year on record. Ethiopia's 1-month anomaly of +2.01°C places it 63rd globally among the 234 regions tracked, and it was 0.43°C warmer than the average for the wider Africa group.
What’s driving change?
The current warming trend in Ethiopia is significantly influenced by the prevailing weak El Niño conditions, with the NOAA ONI 3-month anomaly for April-June 2026 at +0.98°C. El Niño events typically bring warmer and drier conditions to East Africa during the short rains season (October-December), though the current phase is also impacting the June-September main rainy season. Forecasts for June-September 2026 indicate an increased likelihood of below-normal rainfall across much of Ethiopia, particularly in the Kiremt-producing areas, which is crucial for rainfed agriculture. This follows a period of abnormal dryness in central, southwestern, and northwestern Ethiopia over the last 30 days or more. Additionally, parts of western Ethiopia experienced heavy rainfall and flash flooding in late June.
Looking ahead
The ongoing El Niño is expected to persist through the rest of 2026, with a high probability of remaining in an El Niño phase through October-December, suggesting a continued risk of below-normal rainfall in some regions during the main rainy season, and a potential for a wetter-than-normal short rains season later in the year.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Ethiopia
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Ethiopia – Monthly Temperature – All Years
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Records – Ethiopia
Our World in Data / NOAA - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Aw · TropicalEthiopia doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 2.4°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 14× as much rain as the driest). So we track how the wet season has shifted instead.
Monthly rainfall climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: May (+22 mm, +21%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Rainfall & Rain Days – Totals
Headline: anomaly vs the 1961–1990 mean. Small figure: the actual value. Rank: position in the full record (1st = highest ever). Record: highest (or lowest) value on record with its year.
Climate Systems
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Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Ethiopia
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 Ethiopia changing?
Ethiopia 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.
Where does the climate data for Ethiopia come from?
Climate data for Ethiopia 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 Ethiopia climate data cover?
The Ethiopia climate profile covers Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Mekelle, Adama and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Ethiopia
How often is the Ethiopia climate update refreshed?
The Ethiopia 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.