Nepal Climate
Top 5 Cities: Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lalitpur, Bharatpur, and Birgunj
This month in numbers
Nepal experienced its 13th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 15.23°C, an anomaly of +1.2°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The period from February to April 2026 was Nepal's 5th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 11.39°C, showing a significant anomaly of +1.7°C against the 1961–1990 baseline. This warming trend in Nepal aligns with a broader global pattern, as global land temperatures for the same three-month period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. Nepal's 1-month anomaly for April placed it 158th out of 234 regions, while its 3-month anomaly ranked 118th.
What’s driving change?
The warming trend in Nepal is influenced by , a phenomenon where higher altitudes experience more pronounced temperature increases. The current climate is also shaped by a Neutral ENSO state, with a +0.11°C anomaly in the Niño 3.4 region for February-April 2026. However, a transition to El Niño is the most likely forecast for the coming months, with a 61% probability for May-July and 79% for June-August. El Niño conditions typically bring warmer and drier weather to India during the summer monsoon, which can impact Nepal's climate. Nepal has also experienced significant extreme weather events recently. From mid-April to mid-July 2025, the country recorded 2,065 disaster events, including floods and landslides, which resulted in 93 deaths and 22 missing persons. In February 2026, catastrophic flooding occurred in the high Himalayas simultaneously with acute drought in the southern plains, highlighting a severe hydrological paradox. Unseasonal snowfall in high-altitude areas of Taplejung in May 2026 also disrupted local life and tourism just before the monsoon season.
Looking ahead
The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology forecasts a weaker-than-normal monsoon season for Nepal in 2026, with below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures across most of the country from June to September.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Nepal
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 Nepal changing?
Nepal 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 Nepal come from?
Climate data for Nepal 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 Nepal climate data cover?
The Nepal climate profile covers Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lalitpur, Bharatpur and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Nepal
How often is the Nepal climate update refreshed?
The Nepal 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.