Tunisia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Tunis, Sfax, Sousse, Ettadhamen, and Kairouan
This month in numbers
Tunisia experienced its 17th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 19.2°C, which is 2°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, at 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The period from February to April 2026 was notably warm, ranking as the 4th warmest such period in 86 years of records for Tunisia, with an average temperature of 16.64°C, a significant 2.4°C above the baseline. This trend aligns with the broader global picture, as global land temperatures for the same three-month period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. Tunisia's long-term warming trend shows an increase of +1.91°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline, with 2025 being the warmest year on record.
What’s driving change?
Tunisia is grappling with a severe and escalating drought crisis, which is increasingly becoming a structural condition rather than a temporary climate problem. This is driven by climate change, rising temperatures, and declining rainfall, leading to more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting droughts. The country has also experienced extreme weather events, including severe thunderstorms with heavy rain and hail in April 2026, particularly in western regions like Kasserine, Sidi Bouzid, Gafsa, El Kef, and Siliana. These storms, while bringing some precipitation, are often intense and localised, contributing to runoff rather than alleviating long-term water scarcity. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but an El Niño phase is strongly forecast for the coming months, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Mediterranean region, potentially exacerbating Tunisia's existing drought and heatwave risks. ENSO tracker
Looking ahead
The strong forecast for an El Niño phase in the coming months suggests a heightened risk of warmer and drier conditions for Tunisia, potentially intensifying the ongoing drought and increasing the likelihood of heatwaves.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Tunisia
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 Tunisia changing?
Tunisia 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 Tunisia come from?
Climate data for Tunisia 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 Tunisia climate data cover?
The Tunisia climate profile covers Tunis, Sfax, Sousse, Ettadhamen and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Tunisia
How often is the Tunisia climate update refreshed?
The Tunisia 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.