Greenland Climate
Top 5 Cities: Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat, Qaqortoq, and Aasiaat
This month in numbers
Greenland experienced a significantly warmer April 2026, with an average temperature of -20.12°C, marking an anomaly of +2.5°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranks as the 16th warmest April in 86 years of records. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was even more notable, with an average temperature of -23.5°C and an anomaly of +2.8°C, making it the 6th warmest such period on record. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, while the February-April period also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
The past three months have seen Greenland experiencing significantly above-average temperatures, with the February-April period ranking as the 6th warmest on record. This warming trend in Greenland aligns with the broader global picture, as global land temperatures for both April and the February-April period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. Greenland's 1-month anomaly of +2.48°C places it 93rd out of 234 regions, while its 3-month anomaly of +2.83°C ranks it 42nd.
What’s driving change?
The pronounced warming in Greenland is largely driven by , where the Arctic region warms at a rate significantly higher than the global average. This effect is exacerbated by , as retreating snow and ice expose darker surfaces that absorb more solar radiation, further accelerating warming. The () was in a positive phase in March 2026 (2.69) and a weakly positive phase in February 2026 (0.68), after being negative in January 2026 (-0.36). A typically brings milder, wetter conditions to northern Europe, and can influence atmospheric circulation patterns over Greenland. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C for February-April 2026. However, there is a strong probability of an El Niño developing in the coming months, with a 61% chance for May-July and a 79% chance for June-August. This shift could bring further global temperature increases. In early February 2026, Greenland experienced unusually high seasonal average temperatures, with coastal stations reporting anomalies of +8°C to +12°C relative to climatological baselines, impacting sea ice formation and fishing seasons.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts suggest a likely development of El Niño conditions from May-July 2026, which could contribute to above-normal land surface temperatures across nearly all regions, including Greenland, in the coming months.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Greenland
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 Greenland changing?
Greenland 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 Greenland come from?
Climate data for Greenland 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 Greenland climate data cover?
The Greenland climate profile covers Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat, Qaqortoq and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Greenland
How often is the Greenland climate update refreshed?
The Greenland 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.