Kuwait Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Kuwait City, Ahmadi, Hawalli, Salmiya, and Jahra
Summary
Kuwait experienced relentless summer heat as monthly temperatures averaged 38.87°C, placing it among the warmest July periods in 87 years of record-keeping. Scorching conditions swept the Gulf region as daytime maximums approached 50°C, compounded by dry northwesterly Al-Samoom winds that raised dust across the desert state. On a global scale, planetary land temperatures reached their 3rd highest level on record for the month, with extreme conditions expected to linger through late summer.
This month in numbers
The country recorded an average temperature of 38.87°C during the month, which sits 2.0°C above the 1961-1990 baseline and ranks as the 11th warmest July on record since 1940. While local heat remained intense, global figures were even more remarkable. The global land temperature for the month reached 15.8°C, standing 1.6°C above the long-term baseline and marking the 3rd warmest July in 87 years of global observation.
What changed
Over the three-month period from May to July 2026, Kuwait averaged 36.01°C, which sits 1.7°C above historic norms and ranks 17th warmest for the season in 87 years of data. This regional heat coincided with widespread planetary warming, as global land surface temperatures for May to July 2026 averaged 14.34°C (+1.5°C above baseline), making it the 2nd warmest corresponding seasonal period on global record. Across 232 tracked countries and regions worldwide, Kuwait ranked 77th for its monthly temperature anomaly and 84th over the three-month timeframe.
What’s driving change?
Kuwait's hyper-arid climate makes it particularly vulnerable to , where a lack of soil moisture prevents evaporative cooling and forces solar radiation directly into air heating. Summertime weather in the region is routinely dominated by , high-pressure systems that trap scorching air and fuel hot northwesterly winds. In urban centres, the effect retains thermal energy in concrete and asphalt overnight, preventing temperatures from falling significantly before sunrise. While local conditions were extreme, no severe weather events in Kuwait were large enough to trigger entries on our global disaster tracking system.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate projections indicate that persistent high-pressure systems over the Arabian Peninsula will keep regional temperatures well above historic baselines over the next 1-3 months.
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 – Kuwait
Köppen BWh · AridKuwait has a arid climate (Köppen BWh: Hot desert), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 39.2°C, while January is the coldest at 13.6°C. Annual precipitation averages around 103mm, 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 – Kuwait
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 – Kuwait
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 – Kuwait
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Kuwait
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 – Kuwait
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen BWh · AridKuwait has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±12.4°C) and a wet/dry cycle (31× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Feb (-10 mm, -49%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
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.
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 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 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 Kuwait?
Kuwait has a arid climate (Köppen BWh: Hot desert), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 39.2°C, while January is the coldest at 13.6°C. Annual precipitation averages around 103mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
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.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Kuwait 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 Kuwait 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.