Mauritania Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, Néma, Kaédi, and Rosso
Summary
Mauritania has recorded its warmest May to July period on record, capped by an all-time temperature record for the latest month itself. Across the Sahel, extreme temperatures pushed air masses more than 2°C above historical averages, turning late spring and early summer into an unprecedented spell of scorching heat. The record-breaking run occurred against a backdrop of a moderate El Niño in the tropical Pacific, which is forecast to intensify into a Very Strong event by autumn. With high pressure remaining firmly established across North Africa, relentless heat and dry conditions are expected to persist through late summer.
This month in numbers
July 2026 became the hottest single month in Mauritania's recorded history, with average temperatures reaching 34.98°C, an anomaly of +1.8°C above the 1961-1990 baseline. That record topped off a remarkable three-month period from May to July, which also ranked 1st out of 87 years of records with a mean temperature of 34.32°C and a +2.5°C anomaly. Nationally, precipitation during May registered at just 0.3mm, sitting 1.22mm below average as the 122nd wettest such month out of 136 years. Globally, land temperatures in July averaged 15.8°C (+1.6°C anomaly), placing the month 3rd warmest on record, while the global May to July average ranked 2nd warmest at 14.34°C.
What changed
The unprecedented summer heat reflects an accelerating warming trend that has elevated desert and Sahelian temperatures well above historical norms. Mauritania's long-term temperature has risen by +1.38°C against the mid-twentieth-century baseline, with five of the six warmest years on record occurring since 2020. The year 2025 finished as the country's 8th warmest year on record with an average temperature of 28.21°C, remaining just below the record year of 2010 when mean temperatures hit 28.78°C. The sustained heat of recent months underscores how single-month extremes are pushing regional climate boundaries into uncharted territory.
What’s driving change?
The relentless heat across Mauritania is driven by a combination of dynamics and , where a lack of moisture prevents evaporative cooling and allows incoming solar radiation to directly bake the desert terrain. These local factors are amplified by across the Sahel and global climate drivers. In the tropical Pacific, a moderate El Niño is currently active, tracked on our live map at ENSO. While historical teleconnections for the Sahel show only a modest 50% reliability, El Niño conditions generally favour warmer and drier weather during the summer monsoon season. While extreme heat dominated the region rather than the large wildfire clusters active in central and southern Africa, tracked at Extreme Weather tracker, local conditions remained punishingly dry.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts indicate that above-average temperatures are likely to persist through late summer and into autumn, driven by an intensifying El Niño that carries a 93% probability of reaching Very Strong strength between September and November.
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 – Mauritania
Köppen BWh · AridMauritania 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 34.4°C, while January is the coldest at 19.5°C. Annual precipitation averages around 121mm, 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 – Mauritania
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 – Mauritania
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 – Mauritania
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Mauritania
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 – Mauritania
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen BWh · AridMauritania has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±7.7°C) and a wet/dry cycle (14× 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: Aug (-16 mm, -28%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Mauritania
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 Mauritania changing?
Mauritania 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 Mauritania?
Mauritania 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 34.4°C, while January is the coldest at 19.5°C. Annual precipitation averages around 121mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Mauritania come from?
Climate data for Mauritania 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 Mauritania climate data cover?
The Mauritania climate profile covers Nouakchott, Nouadhibou, Néma, Kaédi and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Mauritania
How often is the Mauritania climate update refreshed?
The Mauritania 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 Mauritania 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 Mauritania 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.