Ethiopia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Mekelle, Adama, and Gondar
This month in numbers
Ethiopia experienced its 6th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 25.38°C, an anomaly of +1.7°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The global land temperature for April 2026 also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The period of February–April 2026 was Ethiopia's 4th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 25.3°C, an anomaly of +1.7°C. This continues a trend of significantly warmer conditions, with 2025 being the warmest year on record for the country. Ethiopia's April anomaly of +1.74°C was notably warmer than the African continent's average anomaly of +1.38°C, placing it as the 3rd warmest within its regional group for the month.
What’s driving change?
The ongoing warming trend in Ethiopia is influenced by the broader global climate change, with land warming faster than the ocean. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C for February-April 2026. However, there is a strong forecast for El Niño to develop in the coming months, with a 61% probability for May-July and 79% for June-August. Historically, El Niño events have been associated with wetter conditions and an increased risk of flooding in the Horn of Africa during the "short rains" season (October-December). Ethiopia has recently experienced significant extreme weather events, including landslides and floods in the Gamo Zone in March 2026, which tragically killed over 120 people and displaced nearly 20,000. Additionally, a wildfire was active from April 30 to May 7, 2026, representing 100% of the annual total for Ethiopia, which is an unusual concentration for the region. Drought conditions are also persisting in southern and eastern Ethiopia, with some areas receiving as little as 55% of average rainfall, impacting pastoral communities and leading to concerns about food insecurity. More information on active extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The strong forecast for an evolving El Niño phase suggests a potential for wetter conditions in the Horn of Africa in the coming months, particularly during the short rains season.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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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 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 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.