Kosovo Climate
Top 5 Cities: Pristina, Prizren, Peja, Ferizaj, and Gjakova
This month in numbers
Kosovo experienced a significantly warmer April, with an average temperature of 10.6°C, marking an anomaly of +1.2°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 21st warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperature, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, just shy of the record set in April 2025.
What changed
The period from February to April 2026 saw an average temperature of 6.71°C, an anomaly of +1.8°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 15th warmest such period in 86 years. This continues a trend of warmer conditions, with 2025 being the warmest year on record for Kosovo, at 12.35°C. Globally, the February–April 2026 period was the 2nd warmest on record for land temperature, with an anomaly of +1.2°C. Kosovo's 1-month anomaly for April placed it 149th out of 234 regions, while its 3-month anomaly ranked 116th.
What’s driving change?
The warming trend in Kosovo is part of a broader pattern of increasing temperatures across the Western Balkans, which has been experiencing more frequent and intense summer heat events due to climate change. The region also faced significant flooding in early January 2026 due to prolonged heavy rainfall and rapid snowmelt, with some areas experiencing a hydrological return period of 50 years. This led to rivers overflowing their banks, impacting homes and infrastructure, and causing power outages and water supply issues in several municipalities. Landscape fires have also been a persistent issue in the Western Balkans, with 2025 seeing one of the most severe fire seasons in a decade, driven by prolonged heatwaves and drought conditions.
Looking ahead
Experts warn that the combination of the evolving El Niño phenomenon and human-induced climate change could lead to unprecedented extreme weather events globally, including a potentially record-breaking wildfire year in 2026.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Kosovo
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 Kosovo changing?
Kosovo 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 Kosovo come from?
Climate data for Kosovo 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 Kosovo climate data cover?
The Kosovo climate profile covers Pristina, Prizren, Peja, Ferizaj and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Kosovo
How often is the Kosovo climate update refreshed?
The Kosovo 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.