Iran Climate
Top 5 Cities: Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Karaj, and Shiraz
This month in numbers
Iran experienced a significantly warmer March 2026, with an average temperature of 13.9°C, marking an anomaly of +3.1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranks as the 15th warmest March in 86 years of records. The broader January–March 2026 period also saw elevated temperatures, averaging 9.1°C, which is +2.2°C above the baseline and the 17th warmest such period on record. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperature on record, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, while the February–April 2026 period was also the 2nd warmest globally for land temperature, with an anomaly of +1.2°C.
What changed
Iran's recent warmth contrasts with a prolonged drought that has significantly impacted the country for years. Tehran and Alborz regions, for instance, have entered their sixth consecutive year of drought. This persistent dryness has led to critical water shortages, with Tehran's five main dams remaining below 20% capacity despite some recent rainfall. While Iran's 1-month temperature anomaly of +3.09°C places it 73rd globally, it is notably warmer than the average for the Asia group, being 1.14°C above the group's mean anomaly.
What’s driving change?
The ongoing drought in Iran is a significant climate challenge, exacerbated by , where parched land heats up more rapidly. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of -0.16°C for January-March 2026. However, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, with a 61% chance for May-July and a 79% chance for June-August, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the region. Iran has also been grappling with the environmental consequences of recent conflicts, including "black rain" in early March, caused by the burning of oil reservoirs and fuel depots, which released significant pollutants into the atmosphere and contaminated soil and water supplies. This "black rain" was linked to a low-pressure meteorological system over Tehran. Additionally, an abnormally strong jet stream led to powerful storms across parts of the Middle East in late March, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding to some areas, though not enough to alleviate Iran's long-term drought. Iran has been undertaking cloud seeding efforts since November 2025 in an attempt to mitigate the severe drought, with plans to continue until May 2026. More information on extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker and on the ENSO situation at ENSO tracker.
Looking ahead
Forecasters suggest that the impending shift to an El Niño phase could bring further warmer and drier conditions to Iran, potentially intensifying the ongoing water crisis.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Iran
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 Iran changing?
Iran 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 Iran come from?
Climate data for Iran 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 Iran climate data cover?
The Iran climate profile covers Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Karaj and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Iran
How often is the Iran climate update refreshed?
The Iran 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.