Ghana Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi, and Cape Coast
Summary
Ghana experienced its 5th warmest July on record as temperature anomalies reached 1.3°C above the 1961-1990 baseline. The elevated heat coincided with a violent wet season, where torrential downpours triggered flash flooding across Greater Accra and coastal districts, displacing tens of thousands of residents and claiming over 30 lives. Globally, land temperatures marked the 3rd warmest July on record, reflecting widespread tropical warming. Wet weather is expected to ease into autumn as seasonal precipitation patterns shift.
This month in numbers
Ghana recorded an average temperature of 26.24°C in July 2026, which sits 1.3°C above the 1961-1990 baseline. This ranks as the 5th warmest version of the month in 87 years of data, trailing behind the record set during 2024 at 26.51°C. Across the globe, land temperatures averaged 15.8°C, making it the 3rd warmest July on record with a 1.6°C anomaly.
What changed
Looking across the three-month period of May to July 2026, Ghana's mean temperature reached 27.17°C, standing 1.0°C above historical norms and ranking as the 16th warmest such stretch on record. This fits a broader trend of steady warming, with Ghana's overall annual temperature rising by 1.25°C compared to the pre-1990 baseline and 2025 ranking as the 8th warmest full year on record at 27.91°C. Regionally, Ghana sat 162nd out of 232 tracked areas globally for its July anomaly, remaining 0.51°C cooler than the broader African average.
What’s driving change?
The sustained regional warming is influenced by the principle that waters, causing West Africa's landmass to heat more rapidly than the tropical Atlantic. Furthermore, ongoing has led to erratic precipitation patterns, where heavy rain events occur in short, intense bursts amidst overall warm conditions. While severe local flooding devastated parts of southern Ghana, the rainfall did not register on global disaster maps, whereas 33 wildfire clusters in Angola are tracked on our live map at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate models project that temperatures across Ghana will remain moderately above average into autumn as the main rainy season gives way to drier conditions.
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 – Ghana
Köppen Aw · TropicalGhana 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 30.3°C, while August is the coldest at 25.7°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1175mm, 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 – Ghana
Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Ghana
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: 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 – Ghana
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Ghana
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 – Ghana
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Aw · TropicalGhana doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 4.2°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 12× 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: Apr (-29 mm, -23%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
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.
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 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 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 Ghana?
Ghana 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 30.3°C, while August is the coldest at 25.7°C. Annual precipitation averages around 1175mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
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.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Ghana 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 Ghana 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.