Tunisia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Tunis, Sfax, Sousse, Ettadhamen, and Kairouan
This month in numbers
Tunisia experienced its 17th warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 19.2°C, which is 2°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The period of February–April 2026 ranked as the 4th warmest such period in 86 years, with an anomaly of +2.4°C, reaching 16.64°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, and the February–April 2026 period was also the 2nd warmest on record for global land temperatures.
What changed
The past three months have seen Tunisia experiencing significantly warmer conditions, ranking 4th warmest for the February–April period since records began in 1941. This trend is part of a broader warming pattern, with the latest full year (2025) being the warmest on record for Tunisia at 21.69°C. The long-term trend for the country shows a warming of +1.91°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Tunisia's 3-month anomaly places it 64th out of 234 regions globally, indicating a substantial warming trend compared to many other areas.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth in Tunisia is influenced by the broader trend of land warming faster than the ocean. Additionally, the region is currently experiencing a drought, which began in late January 2026 and is ongoing. This drought is considered an unusual concentration, representing 100% of the drought events logged for Tunisia over the past 12 months. A recent report by the African Development Bank highlights that Tunisia is facing an escalating drought crisis, driven by climate change, rising temperatures, and declining rainfall, with nearly 60% of years between 1950 and 2018 classified as drought years. This exacerbates warming, as the lack of moisture prevents evaporative cooling. While the current ENSO state is Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly for February-April 2026, forecasts indicate a 61% likelihood of El Niño developing by May-July 2026, increasing to 87% by July-September 2026. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Mediterranean region during summer, amplifying heatwave and wildfire risks. ENSO tracker. In April 2026, Tunisia also experienced severe thunderstorms with hail accumulations in areas like Makthar and Ouled Bousmir.
Looking ahead
With a strong likelihood of El Niño developing in the coming months, Tunisia could face warmer and drier conditions, increasing the risk of heatwaves and further exacerbating the ongoing drought.
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.