Kuwait Climate
Top 5 Cities: Kuwait City, Ahmadi, Hawalli, Salmiya, and Jahra
This month in numbers
Kuwait experienced its 3rd warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 27.9°C, a significant 3.3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This places April 2026 among the top 5 warmest Aprils in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C against the same baseline.
What changed
While April saw a substantial warming anomaly, the three-month period from February to April 2026 was 1.1°C above the 1961–1990 average, ranking as the 30th warmest such period on record. This is a cooler ranking compared to the global land temperature for the same three-month period, which was the 2nd warmest on record. Kuwait's annual average temperature for 2025 was 27.05°C, making it the 5th warmest year in 85 years of records, continuing a long-term warming trend of +2.00°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline.
What’s driving change?
The significant warming in April aligns with the broader trend of increasing temperatures in Kuwait, a region highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The country has experienced a sharp increase in higher-than-average temperatures during summer months, with predictions indicating these high temperatures are likely to occur more frequently and intensely. Kuwait's arid climate is further aggravated by low annual rainfall, which can lead to increased drought occurrences and intensify existing water problems. The current ENSO state is Neutral for February-April 2026, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +0.9°C as of April 29, 2026. However, forecasts indicate a 61% chance of El Niño developing in May-July 2026, increasing to 87% by July-September 2026. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the region, which could exacerbate the already high temperatures and potential for drought in Kuwait. Kuwait also experienced torrential floods in March 2026, which closed roads and inundated homes, highlighting the country's vulnerability to extreme weather events such as flash floods.
Looking ahead
The evolving El Niño phase, with a strong likelihood of development in the coming months, suggests a continuation of warmer and potentially drier conditions for Kuwait in the weeks and months ahead, as El Niño typically brings warmer and drier weather to the region.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Kuwait
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 Kuwait changing?
Kuwait 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 Kuwait come from?
Climate data for Kuwait 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 Kuwait climate data cover?
The Kuwait climate profile covers Kuwait City, Ahmadi, Hawalli, Salmiya and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Kuwait
How often is the Kuwait climate update refreshed?
The Kuwait 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.