Yemen Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Sanaa, Aden, Taiz, Hodeidah, and Ibb
Summary
Yemen endured its 3rd warmest May-to-July season on record, capped by a month that ranked as the country's 5th warmest July since records began in 1940. Sweltering temperatures exceeding 40°C triggered severe power grid failures and compounded humanitarian struggles, while late-month monsoonal storms unleashed destructive flash floods across central and western governorates, with below-average seasonal rainfall projected across rainfed agricultural areas into late summer.
This month in numbers
July 2026 delivered an average temperature of 31.94°C in Yemen, sitting 2.4°C above the 1961-1990 baseline. That made it the 5th warmest July in 87 years of record-keeping, staying below the all-time peak of 32.91°C set two years prior in 2024. Across the broader May-to-July season, temperatures averaged 31.28°C (+2.2°C anomaly), marking the 3rd warmest such three-month stretch on record. Globally, land surface temperatures for the month ranked 3rd highest on record at 15.8°C (+1.6°C anomaly), while the global May-to-July average ranked 2nd highest at 14.34°C (+1.5°C anomaly).
What changed
The high summer warmth fits a sustained warming trajectory across the Arabian Peninsula, where Yemen's long-term temperature has risen by 1.62°C relative to the 1961-1990 baseline. Following 2025, which ranked as the country's 3rd warmest full year at 26.3°C, 2026 has continued to run well above historical norms. Across our global index of 232 countries and regions, Yemen placed 54th for its one-month anomaly and 46th for its three-month anomaly, reflecting widespread heat across North Africa and Southern Europe, where nations like Tunisia and France recorded anomalies over 4°C above baseline.
What’s driving change?
As an arid region, Yemen is particularly vulnerable to , where parched ground cannot cool through evaporation, causing solar radiation to heat the terrain directly. At the same time, has altered atmospheric moisture transport across the Arabian Sea, leading to sudden, erratic downpours interspersed with protracted dry spells. In late July, sudden monsoonal thunderstorms triggered flash flooding across Sana'a, Taiz, and Ibb governorates, illustrating how elevated atmospheric temperatures drive intense rainfall bursts despite persistent drought risk.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts for the July-to-September period indicate a high probability of below-average rainfall across Yemen's rainfed agricultural zones, threatening severe drought and worsening crop stress over the coming months.
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 – Yemen
Köppen BWh · AridYemen has a arid climate (Köppen BWh: Hot desert), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. June is typically the warmest month, averaging 31.3°C, while January is the coldest at 19.8°C. Annual precipitation averages around 144mm, 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 – Yemen
Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Yemen
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: 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 – Yemen
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Yemen
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 – Yemen
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen BWh · AridYemen has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±5.4°C) and a wet/dry cycle (3× 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: Jul (+12 mm, +120%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Yemen
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 Yemen changing?
Yemen 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 Yemen?
Yemen has a arid climate (Köppen BWh: Hot desert), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. June is typically the warmest month, averaging 31.3°C, while January is the coldest at 19.8°C. Annual precipitation averages around 144mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Yemen come from?
Climate data for Yemen 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 Yemen climate data cover?
The Yemen climate profile covers Sanaa, Aden, Taiz, Hodeidah and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Yemen
How often is the Yemen climate update refreshed?
The Yemen 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 Yemen 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 Yemen 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.