Liberia Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Monrovia, Gbarnga, Kakata, Bensonville, and Harper
Summary
Liberia experienced its 3rd warmest July in 87 years of records, continuing a period of persistent tropical heat amidst the annual monsoon. High temperatures combined with intense downpours to cause localised coastal flash flooding across Montserrado County. The heightened heat and moisture pattern is expected to continue through late summer.
This month in numbers
July 2026 averaged 24.68°C across Liberia, delivering a 1.0°C anomaly above the 1961–1990 baseline. That result marked the 3rd warmest July on record since 1940, trailing only the record high set in 2023. Globally, land temperatures for the month were also exceptionally elevated, placing 3rd warmest on record with a 1.6°C anomaly.
What changed
The May to July season registered an average temperature of 25.26°C, marking an anomaly of +0.8°C. This earned the three-month period a rank of 5th warmest on record, following the all-time high set in 2024. While Liberia’s single-month anomaly placed 195th among 232 countries and regions tracked worldwide, the global May–July land average stood out as the 2nd warmest on record. This fits Liberia's long-term warming trend of +0.94°C above baseline, following on from 2025 ranking as the country's 5th warmest year.
What’s driving change?
The primary driver behind West Africa's shifting climate patterns is , where elevated atmospheric temperatures alter traditional rainfall cycles and exacerbate extreme downpours. Tropical land surfaces are also subject to how waters, keeping day and night temperatures elevated even during the wet season. Heavy downpours flooded low-lying neighbourhoods in Monrovia, overwhelming urban drainage systems during the seasonal rain peak.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts indicate that elevated humidity and sporadic heavy rainfall will persist across coastal and southern Liberia in the coming months, maintaining a heightened risk of localised urban flooding.
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 – Liberia
Köppen Am · TropicalLiberia has a tropical climate (Köppen Am: Tropical monsoon), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. February is typically the warmest month, averaging 27.0°C, while August is the coldest at 24.4°C. Annual precipitation averages around 2158mm, 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 – Liberia
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Liberia
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - 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 – Liberia
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Liberia
Latest month is provisional and may be revised by the data provider in the next update cycle.
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 – Liberia
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Wet / dry seasonsKöppen Am · TropicalLiberia doesn't have a warm/cold cycle - its monthly temperature range is only 2.4°C across the year - but it does have a strong wet/dry cycle (the wettest month gets 15× as much rain as the driest). So we track how the wet season has shifted instead.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Sep (-187 mm, -36%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Liberia
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 Liberia changing?
Liberia 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 Liberia?
Liberia has a tropical climate (Köppen Am: Tropical monsoon), with only modest temperature variation through the year, but a pronounced wet and dry season. February is typically the warmest month, averaging 27.0°C, while August is the coldest at 24.4°C. Annual precipitation averages around 2158mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Liberia come from?
Climate data for Liberia 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 Liberia climate data cover?
The Liberia climate profile covers Monrovia, Gbarnga, Kakata, Bensonville and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Liberia
How often is the Liberia climate update refreshed?
The Liberia 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 Liberia 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 Liberia 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.