Namibia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Windhoek, Rundu, Walvis Bay, Oshakati, and Swakopmund
This month in numbers
Namibia experienced an April that was 0.4°C warmer than the 1961–1990 average, with an average temperature of 21.54°C. This ranked as the 43rd warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, just shy of the record set in April 2025.
What changed
The three-month period from February to April 2026 saw Namibia's average temperature reach 23.42°C, an anomaly of +0.8°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This places it as the 26th warmest such period in 86 years. In contrast to the global picture, where the February-April period was the 2nd warmest on record for global land temperatures, Namibia's warming trend, while notable, was less extreme. The country's long-term warming trend stands at +1.52°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline.
What’s driving change?
Namibia's warming trend is influenced by the broader global warming patterns, with the land warming faster than the ocean. The country has also been grappling with severe drought conditions, with the 2023-2024 drought described as the worst in over a century, significantly impacting crop production and reducing dam levels. Despite this, recent heavy rainfall has led to significant flooding in parts of the country. In March and April 2026, severe flooding was reported in the Zambezi Region, displacing residents and disrupting schooling as river levels rose significantly. Additionally, the seasonal flood from Angola, known as efundja, moved into northern Namibia in April, affecting regions like Ohangwena, Omusati, and Oshana. An unusual hailstorm and flash flooding also struck the town of Okahandja in late April 2026, causing widespread damage. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but forecasts indicate an 82% probability of El Niño developing by May-July 2026, with probabilities rising to 98% by August-October 2026. Historically, El Niño events typically bring warmer and drier conditions to Southern Africa, often leading to major droughts and food insecurity, as seen in 2015-16 and 2023-24. More information can be found at ENSO tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts suggest that the evolving El Niño phase could bring warmer and drier conditions to Southern Africa in the coming months.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Namibia
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 Namibia changing?
Namibia 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 Namibia come from?
Climate data for Namibia 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 Namibia climate data cover?
The Namibia climate profile covers Windhoek, Rundu, Walvis Bay, Oshakati and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Namibia
How often is the Namibia climate update refreshed?
The Namibia 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.