Somalia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Bosaso, Kismayo, and Baidoa
This month in numbers
Somalia experienced its 17th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 27.81°C, marking an anomaly of +0.7°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was the 8th warmest on record for Somalia, with an average temperature of 27.15°C, an anomaly of +0.8°C.
What changed
The recent three-month period (February–April 2026) saw Somalia experiencing significantly warmer conditions, ranking 8th warmest in 86 years of records. This trend aligns with the broader global picture, as global land temperatures for the same period also ranked 2nd warmest on record. Somalia's one-month anomaly for April placed it 198th out of 234 regions, indicating that while warmer than average, other regions experienced more pronounced temperature increases. The country continues to grapple with a severe drought, which has been ongoing since the near-total failure of the 2025 Deyr rains and an unusually harsh Jilaal dry season.
What’s driving change?
The persistent drought conditions in Somalia are a major driver of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, with failed and delayed rains, coupled with escalating food prices, severely impacting livelihoods. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but the forecast indicates a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, with an 82% chance for May–July and increasing to 98% by August–October. Historically, El Niño events in East Africa typically lead to wetter conditions during the "short rains" season (October–December), often resulting in flooding and locust outbreaks. However, the immediate concern remains the ongoing drought, which has displaced nearly 62,000 people since the beginning of the year, with drought now accounting for three out of every four new displacements. Flash floods in April, particularly in the Banadir region, displaced over 4,000 people, many of whom were already internally displaced by conflict.
Looking ahead
The Gu (April–June) rainy season is expected to bring normal to above-normal rainfall across much of southern and central Somalia, offering potential short-term relief from the prolonged dry conditions, though localised flooding remains a risk, particularly in the Juba–Shabelle river basins.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Somalia
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 Somalia changing?
Somalia 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 Somalia come from?
Climate data for Somalia 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 Somalia climate data cover?
The Somalia climate profile covers Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Bosaso, Kismayo and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Somalia
How often is the Somalia climate update refreshed?
The Somalia 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.