Zimbabwe Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Harare, Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Mutare, and Gweru
This month in numbers
Zimbabwe experienced its 11th warmest June on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 17.14°C, marking an anomaly of +1.3°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, June 2026 was the 3rd warmest June on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1°C.
What changed
The April–June 2026 period in Zimbabwe was the 16th warmest on record, with an average temperature of 19.39°C, an anomaly of +1°C. This warming trend aligns with the national long-term trend of +1.20°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline, with 2025 being the warmest year on record for Zimbabwe. The country also experienced significant flooding during the 2025/2026 rainfall season, particularly from January to March 2026, which resulted in at least 109 confirmed deaths and affected over 41,000 people.
What’s driving change?
The current weak El Niño conditions, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +1.8°C as of July 1, 2026, are a significant driver of the warmer temperatures and are expected to strengthen. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to Southern Africa, often leading to drought and impacting agricultural output. The region has already faced severe floods earlier in the year, with climate change making such extreme weather events more frequent. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has also warned of an increased risk of veld fires this dry season, with the restriction period for veld fires running from July 1 to November 30, 2026.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Zimbabwe
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Zimbabwe – Monthly Temperature – All Years
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Records – Zimbabwe
Our World in Data / NOAA - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Cwa · TemperateZimbabwe has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±4.6°C) and a wet/dry cycle (103× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly rainfall climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Mar (-24 mm, -23%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (rainfall: World Bank CCKP / CRU TS 4.08). Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Rainfall & Rain Days – Totals
Headline: anomaly vs the 1961–1990 mean. Small figure: the actual value. Rank: position in the full record (1st = highest ever). Record: highest (or lowest) value on record with its year.
Climate Systems
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Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Zimbabwe
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 Zimbabwe changing?
Zimbabwe 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.
Where does the climate data for Zimbabwe come from?
Climate data for Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe climate data cover?
The Zimbabwe climate profile covers Harare, Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Mutare and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Zimbabwe
How often is the Zimbabwe climate update refreshed?
The Zimbabwe 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.