Palestine Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Gaza, Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah, and Bethlehem
Summary
Palestine experienced a sharp midsummer heat surge as temperatures rose 1.6°C above the long-term baseline, compounding severe day-to-day conditions across the region. While local summer conditions remained hot and dry, the global backdrop was particularly stark, with planetary land temperatures marking their 3rd warmest July on record. The sustained summer heat across the Levant continues a broader regional warming pattern, with high temperatures likely to persist through late summer.
This month in numbers
The average temperature across Palestine reached 27.86°C during July 2026, creating an anomaly of +1.6°C against the 1961–1990 baseline and ranking as the 17th warmest such month in 87 years of records. Globally, land temperatures averaged 15.8°C with a +1.6°C anomaly, making it the 3rd warmest single month on record worldwide. Over the May to July period, Palestine recorded an average temperature of 24.94°C, sitting +0.8°C above average and ranking 36th overall, while global land temperatures over the same 3-month window reached 14.34°C to record their 2nd highest level in history.
What changed
Looking at the broader trajectory, Palestine's long-term warming trend stands at +1.81°C relative to the 1961–1990 baseline, with recent years consistently tracking near record highs. The full year of 2025 averaged 21.14°C, marking the 6th warmest year in 86 years of historical data, just behind the record set in 2010 at 21.88°C. Across the broader Asia continent, the overall monthly anomaly matched Palestine at +1.57°C above average, reflecting a widespread thermal surge across the Middle East and surrounding regions.
What’s driving change?
Regional heating across the Eastern Mediterranean is heavily reinforced by , where parched terrain prevents cooling through surface evaporation and redirects solar energy directly into heating the air. Prolonged high-pressure systems periodically produce that trap intense summer heat over the Levant, compounding water scarcity and heat stress across densely populated and displaced communities. Furthermore, , accelerating inland temperature spikes across North Africa and the Middle East compared to surrounding marine environments.
Looking ahead
Seasonal climate models indicate that elevated temperatures are likely to linger across the Eastern Mediterranean through late summer and into early autumn, maintaining above-average thermal stress across the region.
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 – Palestine
Köppen Csa · TemperatePalestine has a temperate climate (Köppen Csa: Mediterranean - hot summer), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. August is typically the warmest month, averaging 28.5°C, while January is the coldest at 12.3°C. Annual precipitation averages around 439mm, 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 – Palestine
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 – Palestine
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 – Palestine
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Palestine
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 – Palestine
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Csa · TemperatePalestine has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±7.9°C) and a wet/dry cycle (144× 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: Dec (-33 mm, -24%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Palestine
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 Palestine changing?
Palestine 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 Palestine?
Palestine has a temperate climate (Köppen Csa: Mediterranean - hot summer), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. August is typically the warmest month, averaging 28.5°C, while January is the coldest at 12.3°C. Annual precipitation averages around 439mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Palestine come from?
Climate data for Palestine 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 Palestine climate data cover?
The Palestine climate profile covers Gaza, Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Palestine
How often is the Palestine climate update refreshed?
The Palestine 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 Palestine 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 Palestine 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.