Gabon Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Libreville, Port-Gentil, Franceville, Oyem, and Moanda
Summary
Gabon experienced another unseasonably warm month as temperatures remained well above historic norms, extending a warm spell that saw the latest May-July season rank among the ten warmest on record. While global land temperatures soared to near-record levels, Central Africa's equatorial forests faced persistent heat, with elevated temperatures expected to persist over the coming months.
This month in numbers
In July 2026, Gabon recorded an average temperature of 23.65°C, sitting 1.2°C above the 1961-1990 baseline to rank 11th warmest for the month in records dating back to 1940. This capped a warm season where the May-July average of 24.58°C (+1.2°C anomaly) ranked as the 10th warmest 3-month period on record. Globally, land temperatures for the month ranked 3rd highest on record at 15.8°C (+1.6°C anomaly), contributing to a May-July period that ranked 2nd warmest worldwide.
What changed
The recent warming in Gabon reflects a sustained trend across Central Africa. Average temperatures have remained 0.8°C to 1.3°C above baseline for every month of 2026 so far, following a 2025 average temperature of 24.94°C that ranked as Gabon's 10th warmest year. Long-term records show Gabon has warmed by 1.36°C compared to its 1961-1990 baseline, with the warmest year on record coming in 2024 at 25.5°C. Precipitation has also been sparse, with May 2026 delivering just 49.3mm of rainfall (-125.32mm below normal), ranking 2nd driest for that month in 136 years.
What’s driving change?
Gabon's climate is heavily influenced by equatorial dynamics where , driving air temperatures up across the Congo Basin faster than in surrounding ocean waters. Local pressures from further weaken the dense rainforest canopy that naturally cools the land surface. Additionally, evolving ENSO conditions in the tropical Pacific are shifting atmospheric circulation, disrupting rainfall patterns and amplifying regional heating.
Looking ahead
Seasonal outlooks suggest that developing El Niño conditions will likely maintain above-average temperatures across Central Africa over the coming months, keeping rainfall erratic through the remainder of the year.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – Gabon
Köppen Aw · TropicalGabon has a tropical climate (Köppen Aw: Tropical savanna (dry winter)), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. March is typically the warmest month, averaging 26.0°C, while July is the coldest at 23.9°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1617mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly precipitation.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Gabon
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Gabon
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Gabon
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Gabon
Latest month is provisional and may be revised by the data provider in the next update cycle.
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – Gabon
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Aw · TropicalGabon doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 1.9°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 18× as much rain as the driest). So we track how the wet season has shifted instead.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: May (-27 mm, -15%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Gabon
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.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Gabon changing?
Gabon 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.
What is the climate like in Gabon?
Gabon has a tropical climate (Köppen Aw: Tropical savanna (dry winter)), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. March is typically the warmest month, averaging 26.0°C, while July is the coldest at 23.9°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1617mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Gabon come from?
Climate data for Gabon 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 Gabon climate data cover?
The Gabon climate profile covers Libreville, Port-Gentil, Franceville, Oyem and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Gabon
How often is the Gabon climate update refreshed?
The Gabon 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.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Gabon climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Gabon climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.