Ghana Climate
Top 5 Cities: Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi, and Cape Coast
This month in numbers
Ghana experienced its 7th warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 30.05°C, an anomaly of +1.6°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The period of February to April 2026 was the 4th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 30.17°C, an anomaly of +1.5°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest on record for land temperatures, with the February-April period also ranking as the 2nd warmest.
What changed
Ghana's consistently high temperatures over the past three months align with a broader warming trend observed across the African continent. The nation's 1-month anomaly for April 2026 was 0.17°C warmer than the average for the Africa group, placing it as the 5th warmest within this group. The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has warned that the country is facing a sharply worsening heatwave outlook, with new research indicating that Ghana is among West African nations most exposed to dangerous heat, particularly in rural communities.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth in Ghana is largely driven by the broader effects of climate change, with the country experiencing rising average temperatures and more frequent extreme heat events. The effect is also contributing to significantly higher temperatures in cities like Accra. Furthermore, recent research highlights as a compounding local driver, as cleared forests and converted cropland can increase humidity and contribute to warming. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a strong probability of transitioning to El Niño in the coming months, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the region. Ghana has also experienced heavy rainfall and localised flooding since late March, particularly in southern areas and the capital, Accra. This follows pre-onset rains in January and February that also caused localised flooding.
Looking ahead
With a strong probability of El Niño developing in the coming months, Ghana should anticipate a heightened risk of warmer and drier conditions, potentially exacerbating existing heat stress and drought concerns.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Ghana
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 Ghana changing?
Ghana 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 Ghana come from?
Climate data for Ghana 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 Ghana climate data cover?
The Ghana climate profile covers Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Ghana
How often is the Ghana climate update refreshed?
The Ghana 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.